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| Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries |
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Abstract: Grass weeds continue to be a major issue for blueberry
production in New Brunswick. Commonly applied herbicides for grass control
include hexazinone, terbacil and fluazifop-p-butyl. The herbicide families for
these products have shown resistance in other weed populations, so evaluation
of replacement products is prudent if resistance begins to appear within
blueberry production. A trial was initiated near Tower Hill, New Brunswick to
evaluate registered and new herbicide options for grass control in the sprout
year of production. The grass population, consisting of quackgrass (Agropyron
repens) and Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa) was highly variable and advanced
at the stage of application, which may have influenced the results found. All
herbicides tested demonstrated suppression of the species tested. No product
offered improved control over the commercial standards. Flucarbazone applied
after blueberry emergence caused significant crop injury and yield reductions.
Further testing of the herbicides from this trial is warranted, especially for
additional grass species.
1NB Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture, Crop Development Branch, P. O. Box 6000, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1