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Managing Against the Development of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds: Sugarcane

D. C. Odero, B. A. Sellers, J. A. Ferrell, and G. E. MacDonald

Profitable sugarcane production in Florida requires effective weed management. Herbicides are a critical component of sugarcane weed management programs, because they provide an efficient and cost-effective means of weed control. However, repeated use of a single herbicide or group of herbicides with the same mechanism of action can result in the development of herbicide-resistant weeds. When herbicide-resistant weed populations appear, standard weed control treatments often become ineffective. As a result, alternative means of control must be used. In crops such as sugarcane where a limited number of herbicides are registered, the loss of a single effective herbicide can be very costly. Thus, it is critical to manage herbicides in order to prevent or delay the development of herbicide-resistant weed populations.

Growers and land managers must have a basic understanding of which herbicides have the same mechanism of action in order to successfully apply herbicides in a manner that reduces the likelihood of developing herbicide resistance. Table 1 lists herbicides by group number, mechanism of action, chemical family, common name, and trade name.

When planning a herbicide program to manage against herbicide resistance, you should avoid whenever possible the use of a single herbicide or herbicide group in consecutive years. However, Group 4 (2,4-D, dicamba), Group 5 (atrazine, ametryn, metribuzin), and Group 18 (asulam) herbicides are typically used in every year of a sugarcane crop because of the limited number of herbicides available and the perennial crop cycle of sugarcane. Worldwide, 74 and 38 weed species have developed resistance to triazine and synthetic auxin herbicides, respectively (Heap 2018). These biotypes include several members of the genera Amaranthus, Ambrosia, Chenopodium, Eleusine, Panicum, Digitaria, and Solanum, which are commonly found in Florida sugarcane fields. Consequently, it is critical that other herbicide groups be utilized as part of an integrated weed control program in sugarcane to prevent the development of weed populations with resistance to triazine and synthetic auxins herbicides. Although there are no reported cases of resistance to asulam, there is always a chance that resistant populations could develop. Asulam (Group 18) has been the main herbicide used for postemergence control of grass weeds in sugarcane. It is typically tank mixed with trifloxysulfuron (Group 2), an alternate mechanism of action for postemergence grass weed control. For most grassy weeds, tank mixtures of asulam and trifloxysulfuron are an effective resistance management strategy. Recent registration of topramezone (Group 27) for control of broadleaf and grass weeds in sugarcane provides another mechanism of action particularly for grass control. The tank mix of topramezone and asulam enhances grass control and provides a new tool to mitigate development of asulam resistant grass weeds. A premix that combines three herbicides i.e. atrazine (Group 5), mesotrione (Group 27), and S-metolachlor (Group 15) was also recently registered for broad-spectrum residual control of grass, sedge, and broadleaf weeds in sugarcane. This premix is a resistance management product with three built-in sites of action. Herbicide resistance is more likely to be a problem in fields successively planted to sugarcane with no fallow renovation period. The fallow period provides a valuable opportunity to control weeds using rotational crops (Figure 1), tillage, flooding (Figure 2), or herbicides with other mechanisms of action.

 

Figure 1. Lettuce grown in rotation with sugarcane in the Everglades Agricultural Area in south Florida.
Figure 1.  Lettuce grown in rotation with sugarcane in the Everglades Agricultural Area in south Florida.
Credit: Calvin Odero, UF/IFAS

 

 

Figure 2. Flooded fallow sugarcane field in the Everglades Agricultural Area in south Florida.
Figure 2.  Flooded fallow sugarcane field in the Everglades Agricultural Area in south Florida.
Credit: Calvin Odero, UF/IFAS

 

Herbicide resistance is currently not a significant problem in the sugarcane production region of Florida because no resistant weeds have been documented so far. The continued use of integrated and properly managed weed control programs in sugarcane should ensure that resistance does not become a major issue in the future.

Reference

Heap, I. 2018. The International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds. www.weedscience.org

Tables

Table 1. 

Group number and mechanism of action1

Chemical family

Common name

Trade name(s)

Crop used in...

Group 1

Acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase)

inhibitors

aryloxyphenoxy-

propionates

fenoxaprop

Acclaim Extra

sod

fluazifop

Fusilade DX

fallow, canal banks

cyhalofop

Clincher

rice

quizalofop

Assure II

vegetables

cyclohexanediones

clethodim

Select, Selex Max

vegetables

sethoxydim

Poast, Poast Plus

vegetables

Group 2

Acetolactate

synthase (ALS)

inhibitors

sulfonylureas

bensulfuron-methyl

Londax

rice

chlorsulfuron

Corsair

sod

halosulfuron-methyl

Sandea, Permit

sugarcane, rice

   

trifloxysulfuron-sodium

Envoke

sugarcane

    

sulfonamide

penoxsulam

Grasp, Grasp Xtra2

rice

Group 3

Microtubule

assembly inhibitors

dinitroanilines

oryzalin

Surflan

sod

pendimethalin

Prowl 3.3, Prowl H2O, Pendimax 3.3, Satellite 3.3, Satellite Flex, Satellite HydroCap

sugarcane

prodiamine

Barricade

sod

Group 4

Synthetic auxins

phenoxy acetic acids

2,4-D

several

sugarcane, rice, sweet corn

benzoic acid

dicamba

Banvel

sugarcane

pyridinecarboxylic acid

triclopyr

Grasp Xtra2

rice

Group 5

Photosystem II inhibitors

triazines

ametryn

Evik

sugarcane

atrazine

AAtrex, Atrazine (several), Lumax EZ3

sugarcane, sweet corn

 

hexazinone

K4 4

sugarcane

metribuzin

Sencor, Metribuzin 75, Tricor DF, Tricor 4F

sugarcane

simazine

Princep, Simazine (several)

sweet corn

Group 6

Photosystem II

inhibitors (same mechanism

as Group 5, but different

binding characteristics)

benzothiadiazinone

bentazon

Basagran

sweet corn, rice, vegetables

Group 7

Photosystem II

inhibitors (same mechanism as Groups

5 and 6, but different binding

characteristics)

ureas

diuron

Diuron (several), Direx, Karmex, K44

sugarcane

linuron

Lorox

vegetables

amide

propanil

Stam M4, Propanil 4SC

rice

napropamide

Devrinol

vegetables

Group 8

Lipid synthesis inhibition

(not ACCase inhibition)

thiocarbamates

   

EPTC

Eptam, Eradicane

sweet corn

   

phosphorodithioate

bensulide

Prefar

vegetables

Group 9

EPSP synthase

inhibitors

glycine

glyphosate

Roundup, Touchdown Total, others

fallow

Group 14

Protoporphyrinogen

oxidase (PPO) inhibitors

triazolinone

carfentrazone

Aim

sugarcane, rice, sweet corn

diphenylethers

   

oxyfluorfen

Goal

sweet corn

fomesafen

Reflex

snap beans

N-phenylphthalimides

flumioxazin

Valor SX

sugarcane

oxadiazole

oxadiazon

Ronstar

sod

Group 15

unknown mechanism of action

chloroacetamides

S-metolachlor

Dual II Magnum, , Lumax EZ3

sweet corn, sod, sugarcane

pronamide

Kerb

sod, lettuce

Group 16

unknown mechanism of action

benzofuran

ethofumesate

Prograss

sod

Group 18

DHP (dihydropteroate

synthase step) inhibitors

Carbamate

asulam

Asulam, Asulox

sugarcane

Group 21

Cell wall synthesis

inhibitor (mechanism B)

benzamide

isoxaben

Gallery

sod

Group 22

Photosystem I

electron diversion

bipyridyliums

paraquat

Gramoxone

fallow

Group 27

Hydroxyphenyl-pyruvate-

dioxygenase inhibitors

triketone

mesotrione

Callisto, Lumax EZ3

sugarcane, sweet corn

pyrazolone

topramezone

Armezon

sugarcane, sweet corn

1 Group number and mechanism of action according to the Weed Science Society of America classification (http://wssa.net/wp-content/uploads/WSSA-Mechanism-of-Action.pdf).

2 Grasp Xtra is a commercial; blend of penoxsulam and triclopyr.

3 Lumax EZ is a commercial blend of atrazine, mesotrione, and S-metolachlor.

4 K4 is a commercial blend of diuron and hexazinone.

 

 

Publication #SS-AGR-244

Release Date:September 11, 2018

Reviewed At:November 4, 2021

Related Experts

MacDonald, Gregory

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

Ferrell, Jason A.

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

Sellers, Brent A.

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

Odero, Dennis Calvin

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

  • Critical Issue: Agricultural and Food Systems

The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication do not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition.

All chemicals should be used in accordance with directions on the manufacturer's label.

Fact Sheet

About this Publication

This document is SS-AGR-244, one of a series of the Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date December 2005. Revised October 2014 and August 2018. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. This publication is also part of the Florida Sugarcane Handbook, an electronic publication of the Agronomy Department. For more information, contact the editor of the Sugarcane Handbook, Hardev Sandhu (hsandhu@ufl.edu).

About the Authors

D. C. Odero, associate professor, Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center; B. A. Sellers, professor, Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center; J. A. Ferrell, professor, Agronomy Department; and G. E. MacDonald, professor, Agronomy Department; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Contacts

  • Dennis Odero