Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries - Evaluation of Innovative Herbicides Applied in the Spring of the Sprout Year in Wild Blueberries

Partner: Bleuets NB Blueberries

Abstract: Blueberry producers have limited choices of products for weed control. New herbicide chemistries should be evaluated that can supplement or replace hexazinone. A trial was established near Upper Tilley Road, New Brunswick in the spring of 2007. Although the plot was placed on a field area which historically had lamb's–quarters populations, limited lamb's–quarters seedling recruitment occurred and only crop injury ratings were recorded. No crop injury was noted from pre–emergent treatments. Sulfentrazone post–emergence gave significant crop injury over the first two rating dates. Lower injury was shown from isoxaflutole and to a lesser extent topramezone and tembotrione. By the final rating, plants had recovered from injury for all treatments and no crop injury was noted, as well as no significant yield effects. Further work is needed to refine the weed control spectrum, although sprout year crop injury ratings are promising. Group 27 products (isoxaflutole pre–emergence, topramezone post–emergence and tembotrione post–emergence) should be evaluated against mesotrione under a wide range of weeds to determine if weed control spectrums for the products are similar.