American Journal of Plant Sciences, 2012, 3, 1594-1607
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2012.311193 Published Online November 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/ajps)
Weed Control, Environmental Impact and Profitability
of Weed Management Strategies in
Glyphosate-Resistant Corn
Nader Soltani1*, Christie L. Stewart2, Robert E. Nurse3, Laura L. Van Eerd1, Richard J. Vyn1,
Peter H. Sikkema1
1Ridgetown Campus, University of Guelph, Ridgetown, Canada; 2Western University, London, Canada; 3Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada, Harrow, Canada.
Email: *soltanin@uoguelph.ca
Received August 15th, 2012; revised September 14th, 2012; accepted October 11th, 2012
ABSTRACT
Eleven field trials were conducted over a three-year period (2006-2008) at three locations in southwestern Ontario,
Canada to evaluate the effect of various weed management strategies in glyphosate-resistant corn on weed control, crop
injury, corn yield, environmental impact and profit margin. No visible injury resulted from the herbicide treatments
evaluated. Overall, the effect of all factors assessed were location specific. By 56 days after treatment, depending on
location, glyphosate applied at the 7-8 leaf stage (LPOST), preemergence (PRE) herbicides followed by (fb) glyphosate
LPOST and sequential glyphosate applications (EPOST (3-4 leaf stage) followed by LPOST) provided more consistent
control of annual broadleaf weeds and annual grasses compared to glyphosate applied alone EPOST. Weed control at
56 days after treatment was lower when glyphosate was applied alone LPOST compared to sequential applications of
glyphosate or PRE herbicides fb glyphosate. There were no differences in corn yield among the sequential programs
evaluated; however, a yield benefit was found when a sequential program was used compared to glyphosate applied
alone LPOST. Among the sequential programs the lowest environmental impact was isoxaflutole/atrazine fb glyphosate.
The lowest profit margins were associated with atrazine, S-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor, dicamba/atrazine and gly-
phosate LPOST treatments compared to all other treatments. Overall, profit margins tended to be somewhat higher for
treatments that included glyphosate applications. Based on these results, the most efficacious and profitable weed man-
agement program in corn was a sequential application of glyphosate; however, isoxaflutole/atrazine fb glyphosate was
the treatment with the lowest environmental risk while also adding glyphosate stewardship benefits.
Keywords: Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ); Glyphosate; Profit Margin; Corn; Zea m ay s L.
1. Introduction
The demand on growers to economically produce envi-
ronmentally sustainable food while maintaining herbicide
stewardship is increasing. To achieve this goal, data on
weed control, crop yield, economics and environmental
impacts of herbicides are needed to help identify the
most advantageous herbicide program. Growers of gly-
phosate-resistant corn have several weed management
options, including pre-emergence (PRE), post-emergence
(POST), tankmixes and sequential applications. Tradi-
tional management strategies for corn have included
atrazine [1,2]; however the future of atrazine use in corn
is unclear [3,4]. Since the introduction of glyphosate re-
sistant corn, one- or two-pass glyphosate-only applica-
tions are now options that can simplify weed manage-
ment and can be an effective method used to improve
weed control [2,5-7]. However, sole reliance on glypho-
sate increases weed selection pressure, potentially selec-
ting for glyphosate-resistant weeds [2,8-10]. Tank-mixes
or sequential applications that utilize more than one her-
bicide modes of action can reduce selection pressure [2].
Timing of herbicide application is also critical for ef-
fective weed control [11-14]. A single-pass herbicide
program, PRE or POST can result in weed escapes if the
program fails to control all weeds or has no soil residual
[13,15]. Weed escapes can be more difficult to control
due to increased size, resulting in reduced herbicide effi-
cacy of rescue sprays [16,17]. Later germinating weeds
are of particular concern with a single-pass application of
glyphosate because of its lack of residual control [6,18].
Sequential in-crop applications of glyphosate or combin-
ing a residual PRE herbicide with a POST application
*Corresponding author.
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can improve control of late-emerging weeds [5,6,18-22].
To increase sustainability, management decisions need
to include an assessment of the environmental impact of
weed control strategies. By using lower herbicide appli-
cation rates and/or safer products, the environmental im-
pact of weed control may be reduced. Based on toxico-
logical and physicochemical properties of pesticides, the
environmental impact quotient (EIQ) measures the rela-
tive potential risk of pesticide active ingredients on hu-
man and ecological health based on three risk compo-
nents: farm worker, consumer, and environment [23,24].
A higher environmental impact (EI) indicates a greater
risk of detrimental impact. The EIQ was designed to pro-
vide growers and other decision makers with one number
that indicates the magnitude of relative risk of different
pesticides [25-27].
Current economic pressures facing growers require
that weed management programs have high efficacy
while providing positive economic returns. The cost of
herbicides used in a weed management program, along
with their application costs, needs to be offset by profits
gained from crop yields otherwise the management pro-
gram is not advantageous. Economic loss can result from
a failed weed management program, leading to increased
weed competition and yield losses [28,29]. Weed control
failure may require a rescue spray, thereby increasing
costs and decreasing a grower’s profit margin. Herbi-
cide-resistant crop use is argued to provide greater eco-
nomic benefits to growers compared to non-transgenic
crops due to greater weed control and reduced inputs
costs [30]. Yet studies by Bradley et al. [2], Ferrell and
Witt [31] and Johnson et al. [29] do not indicate an in-
crease in profitability with the use of glyphosate-resistant
corn.
To justify the most appropriate weed management
strategy, the decision-making process must include an
assessment of herbicide efficacy, environmental impact
and economic profitability, while recognizing that trade-
offs among those factors will occur. Therefore, the ob-
jective of this study is to determine which herbicide
strategy for glyphosate-resistant corn will be most effica-
cious and economically profitable while providing low
environmental impact.
2. Material and Methods
2.1. Site Descriptions and Procedures
Eleven field trials were conducted in southwestern On-
tario at the Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research
Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Harrow, On-
tario in 2007 and 2008, at the Huron Research Station,
Exeter, Ontario in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and two different
sites at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus,
Ridgetown, Ontario in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (RCA, Site
1 and RCB, Site 2). Soil descriptions from each location
can be found in Table 1.
Procedures at all sites were the same unless otherwise
noted. Experiments were arranged in a randomized com-
plete block design with four replicates. There were a total
of thirteen treatments: a non-treated weedy control, a
weed-free control, atrazine (1000 g·ai·ha1), s-meto-
lachlor/atrazine/benoxacor (1080 g·ai·ha1), isoxaflutole
(40 g·ai·ha1) + atrazine (400 g·ai·ha1), dicamba/atrazine
(1000 g·ai·ha1), glyphosate (900 g·ae·ha1; 3 - 4 leaf
stage, EPOST), glyphosate (900 g·ae·ha1; 7 - 8 leaf
stage, LPOST), dicamba/atrazine (1000 g·ai·ha1) fol-
lowed by (fb) glyphosate (900 g·ae·ha1), atrazine (1000
g·ai·ha1) fb LPOST glyphosate (900 g·ae·ha1), s-meto-
Table 1. Soil characteristics at Harrow (2007, 2008), Exeter (2006, 2007, 2008) and Ridgetown (2006, 2007, 2008), Ontario.
Location Year Soil pH Organic matter %Soil texture Sand Silt % Clay
2007 6.0 2.6 Fox Sandy Loam 82.5 5.0 12.5
Harrow
2008 6.0 2.6 Fox Sandy Loam 82.5 5.0 12.5
2006 7.9 3.4 Brookston Clay Loam 33.0 35.0 32.0
2007 7.8 3.7 Brookston Clay Loam 38.0 41.0 21.0
Exeter
2008 7.9 3.0 Brookston Clay Loam 34.0 33.0 33.0
2006 6.7 5.9 Clay Loam 35.3 34.9 29.9
2007 7.0 4.0 Sandy Clay Loam 55.3 24.2 20.5
RCA
2008 7.4 5.0 Loam 42.9 32.8 24.4
2006 7.4 5.0 Loam 42.9 32.8 24.4
2007 6.9 4.8 Very Fine Sandy Loam 63.1 19.3 17.6
RCB
2008 6.8 5.3 Sandy Clay Loam 52.4 26.3 21.3
Abbreviations: RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2.
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lachlor/atrazine/benoxacor (1080 g·ai·ha1) fb LPOST
glyphosate (900 g·ae·ha1), isoxaflutole (40 g·ai·ha1) +
atrazine (400 g·ai·ha1) fb LPOST glyphosate (900
g·ae·ha1), EPOST glyphosate (900 g·ae·ha1) fb LPOST
glyphosate (900 g·ae·ha1).
Each treatment plot was 3 m (4 corn rows) wide by 8
m long at Harrow, 3 m by 10 m at Exeter and 2 m by 8 m
at both sites in Ridgetown. Glyphosate-resistant corn
hybrids [Pioneer 36W68; 2008, Pioneer 36W69 (Harrow);
2006, Pioneer 38H65; 2007, Pioneer 38B86; 2008, Pio-
neer 38M68 (Exeter); 2006, Pioneer 38H69; 2007, Pio-
neer 38W69; 2008, Pioneer 35F44 (Ridgetown)] were
seeded at a density of at least 71,000 seeds·ha1 in rows
spaced 75 cm apart. Herbicides were applied using a
CO2- pressurized sprayer calibrated to deliver 222 L·ha1
aqueous solution at 210 kPa using flat fan 110-03 XR
nozzles (TeeJet® flat fan 11003 XR nozzles, Spraying
Systems Company, P.O. Box 7900 Wheaton, IL 60189-
7900) in 2007 and ULD 120-02 nozzles (VeeJet® Ultra
low-drift 12002 nozzles, Spraying Systems Company,
P.O. Box 7900 Wheaton, IL 60189-7900) in 2008 spaced
50 cm apart at Harrow, 200 L·ha1 aqueous solution at
241 kPa using flat fan 8002 VS nozzles (TeeJet® flat fan
8002 VS nozzles, Spraying Systems Company, P.O. Box
7900 Wheaton, IL 60189-7900) in 2006 and 2007 and
ULD 120-02 nozzles (2008) spaced 50 cm apart at Exeter
and 200 L·ha1 aqueous solution at 207 kPa using ULD
120-02 nozzles spaced 50 cm apart at Ridgetown.
Crop injury was estimated visually 7, 14 and 28 days
after treatment (DAT), using a scale of 0 to 100% where
a rating of 0 was defined as no visible plant injury and a
rating of 100 was defined as plant death. Percent weed
control was visually assessed 28 and 56 DAT using a
scale of 0% to 100% where a rating of 0 was defined as no
visible weed control and a rating of 100 was defined as
complete control. Only data from 56 DAT are presented
in this manuscript. Corn was mechanically harvested at
physiological maturity using a plot combine at all sites.
Corn yields were adjusted to a 15.5% moisture level.
2.2. Statistical Analyses
All data were subjected to analysis of variance and ana-
lyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure in SAS statis-
tical software (Version 8. SAS Institute, Inc., Box 8000,
SAS Circle, Cary, NC 27512). Variances were parti-
tioned into the fixed effect of herbicide treatment and
into the random effects of environment (year and loca-
tion). When there was no significant interaction between
environment and treatment the data were pooled. Con-
trast comparisons among herbicide application timings
represent a priori orthoganol contrasts. The assumptions
of the variance analysis were tested by ensuring that the
residuals were random, homogeneous, with a normal
distribution about a mean of zero using residual plots and
a Shapiro-Wilk normality test. All percentage data re-
quired an arcsine square root transformation. Yield data
did not require transformation. All percentage data pre-
sented in tables are on the back-transformed scale. Treat-
ment means were separated at the 5% level of signifi-
cance using a Fisher’s Protected LSD test.
2.3. Environmental Impact
The environmental risk for each herbicide treatment was
determined using published EIQ values for all active
ingredients (a.i.) [24]. However, the EIQ for atrazine,
metolachlor, and isoxaflutole were recalculated based on
PRE vs POST application, where the plant surface per-
sistence value (P) of 1 was used instead of 3, respectively.
The environmental impact of each treatment was calcu-
lated by multiplying herbicide EIQ by the amount ap-
plied in kg·ai/ae·ha1. For herbicide products and/or tank
mixes that contain more than one a.i., the EI was calcu-
lated by summing EIQs at the appropriate proportion.
2.4. Profitability Analysis
The profitability analysis is based on the level of profit
margins over weed control costs, measured as gross in-
come less herbicide and application costs. Gross income
for each replication was calculated as the yield multiplied
by average price for corn between 2006 and 2008, based
on the claim prices reported by Agricorp (Agricorp, 1
Stone Road West, Box 3660 Station Central, Guelph, ON
N1H 8M4, Canada). Herbicide costs for each treatment
are based on the 2007 herbicide prices reported by
AGRIS (AGRIS Co-operative Ltd., 835 Park Avenue
West, Chatham, ON N7M 5J6, Canada). Application
costs are determined based on cost of production data
reported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs (Field Crop Budgets, Publication 60,
updated annually; Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs, 1 Stone Road West, Guelph, ON N1G
4Y2, Canada). All other costs of production are assumed
to be constant across treatments, thus they are not con-
sidered in the analysis. Pairwise comparisons are made
between treatments using SPSS (SPSS Software, Version
16.0 SPSS Inc., 233 S. Wacher Drive, Chicago, IL 60606)
to test for significant differences in average profit mar-
gins between treatments. These pairwise comparisons are
made across all locations and years as well as for each
location (RCA, RCB, Exeter, and Harrow) in each year.
This allows for testing for overall differences in profit-
ability between treatments as well as for testing for
variations in relative profitability for specific treatments
between different locations, between different years, and
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between different location-years. If such variations are
found to exist, this would suggest that profit-maximizing
weed control methods may vary under different circum-
stances.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Weed Control
The dominant weed species in this study were redroot
pigweed, common ragweed, common lambsquarters and
velvetleaf. Because annual grass species varied by loca-
tion, all species were grouped together for analysis.
3.1.1. Redroot Pigweed
All treatments provided greater than 90% control of red-
root pigweed (Table 2). When glyphosate was applied
EPOST redroot pigweed control was reduced by 7%
compared to LPOST glyphosate, a PRE herbicide fb
glyphosate or a sequential glyphosate application. Stew-
art et al. [7] also previously demonstrated that an EPOST
application of glyphosate provided 7% - 11% lower red-
root pigweed control compared to a sequential applica-
tion of glyphosate in corn. In contrast, a sequential ap-
plication of glyphosate did not improve redroot pigweed
control in comparison to a single EPOST application in
soybean [13]. Nurse et al. [6] reported a decrease of 35.9
plants m2 of redroot pigweed when flufenacet + metri-
buzin fb glyphosate was applied compared to when gly-
phosate was applied alone in corn. The results of several
other studies support that late-emerging weeds are con-
trolled most effectively using sequential applications of
glyphosate or by following a PRE herbicide with a
Table 2. Mean percent control of AMARE in response to weed management strategies 56 days after treatment at Exeter and
Ridgetown, ON from 2006 to 2008 and Harrow, ON from 2007 to 2008a.
Rate Weed control (%)
Treatment Timing
g·ai/ae·ha1 Pooled
Weed-free check 100a
Atrazine PRE 1000 98a
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor PRE 1080 90b
Isoxaflutole + atrazine PRE+PRE 40+400 99a
Dicamba/atrazine PRE 1000 100a
Glyphosate EPOST 900 93b
Glyphosate LPOST 900 100a
Dicamba/atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 100a
Atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 100a
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1080 fb 900 100a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine fb glyphosate PRE+PRE fb LPOST 40 + 400 fb 900 100a
Glyphosate fb glyphosate EPOST fb LPOST 900 fb 900 100a
Contrastsb
WF vs glyphosate EPOST *
WF vs glyphosate LPOST NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST *
Glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST NS
Glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST *
Glyphosate LPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate LPOST *
aData were pooled by environment (location and year) when the interaction between environment and treatment was non-significant. Means are presented on
the back-transformed scale. Means followed by the same letter within a column are not significantly different according to Fisher’s Protected LSD (P < 0.05);
ba priori orthogonal contrasts; * = significant (P < 0.05). Abbreviations: AMARE, redroot pigweed; PRE, preemergence; POST, postemergence; EPOST, early
ostemergence; LPOST, late postemergence; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2; WF, weed-free; fb, followed by; NS, not significant p
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POST application of glyphosate [6,18,20].
3.1.2. Common Ragweed
Preemergence application of S-metolachlor/atrazine/be-
noxacor provided less than 77% control of common rag-
weed except at RCA in 2007 (Table 3). Furthermore,
when applied alone, atrazine PRE had no control of
common ragweed at RCA in 2006 and less than 30%
control at RCB in 2006 and 2007. By 56 DAT common
ragweed may have escaped the soil residual provided by
atrazine, resulting in the poor control observed with S-
metolachlor/benoxacor/atrazine or atrazine alone at these
locations. Glyphosate applied LPOST had as much as
17% higher common ragweed control at Exeter in 2006
compared to when glyphosate was applied EPOST. This
is most likely due to common ragweed emerging after the
EPOST application. Sequential applications of glyphosate
increased common ragweed control compared to gly-
phosate applied EPOST by 19%, 2%, 22%, and 2% at
RCA, RCB, and Exeter in 2006 and RCB in 2007, re-
spectively (Table 3). Sequential glyphosate application
also increased common ragweed control by 21% and 5%
at RCA 2006 and Exeter 2007, respectively, compared to
a LPOST application of glyphosate. Generally, the appli-
Table 3. Mean percent control of AMBEL in response to several weed management strategies 56 days after treatment at Exe-
ter and Ridgetown, ON from 2006 to 2008 and Harrow, ON, 2008a.
Rate Weed Control %
2006 2007 2008
Treatment Timing
g·ai/ae·ha1
RCA RCBExeterRCA RCB ExeterPooled
Weed-free check 100a100a100a100a 100a 100a100a
Atrazine PRE 1000 0e 26b 100a96e 29e 99ab65b
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor PRE 1080 0e 44b 74c 97d 25e 77c 51b
Isoxaflutole + atrazine PRE+PRE 40 + 400 78d 97a 100a99b 63d 100a99a
Dicamba/atrazine PRE 1000 99ab99a 100a99b 99ab 100a100a
Glyphosate EPOST 900 81d 98a 78c 99b 97c 100a98a
Glyphosate LPOST 900 79d 97a 95b 98c 98bc 95b 99a
Dicamba/atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 97bc 99a 100a 99b 99ab 100a100a
Atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 98bc98a 100a99b 99ab 100a100a
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor
f
b glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1080 fb 900 94c 98a 99ab98c 99ab 97ab 99a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine fb glyphosatePRE + PRE fb LPOST40 + 400 fb 900100a99a 100a99b 99ab 100a100a
Glyphosate fb glyphosate EPOST fb LPOST 900 fb 900 100a99a 99ab99b 99ab 100a100a
Contrastsb
WF vs glyphosate EPOST * * * * * NS NS
WF vs glyphosate LPOST * * * * * * NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST * * * * * NS NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST * NS * * NS * NS
Glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST NS NS NS NS NS NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST * * * NS * NS NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST * NS NS NS NS * NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate LPOST NS * * NS * * NS
aData were pooled by environment (location and year) when the interaction between environment and treatment was non-significant. Means are presented on
the back-transformed scale. Means followed by the same letter within a column are not significantly different according to Fisher’s Protected LSD (P < 0.05);
ba priori orthogonal contrasts. * = significant (P < 0.05). Abbreviations: AMBEL, common ragweed, PRE, preemergence; POST, postemergence; EPOST, early
ostemergence; LPOST, late postemergence; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2; WF, weed-free; fb, followed by; NS, not significant. p
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cation of a PRE herbicide fb glyphosate improved com-
mon ragweed control compared to a one-pass application
of glyphosate applied EPOST or LPOST, but not a se-
quential application of glyphosate. This is supported by
Nurse et al. [6] who found that common ragweed control
was improved with a sequential application of flufenacet
+ metribuzin fb glyphosate in comparison to a single
application of glyphosate in corn.
3.1.3. Common Lambsquarters
Glyphosate applied EPOST had lower common lamb-
squarters control compared to a PRE herbicide fb gly-
phosate in 2006 at Exeter and RCA, in 2007 at all loca-
tions and in 2008 within Environment 1 (Table 4). Simi-
larly, glyphosate applied LPOST had lower common
lambsquarters control compared to a PRE herbicide fb
glyphosate in 2006 at Exeter and RCA, in 2007 at Exeter
Table 4. Mean percent control of CHEAL in response to several weed management strategies 56 days after treatment at Exe-
ter and Ridgetown, ON from 2006 to 2008 and Harrow, ON from 2007 to 2008a.
Rate Weed Control %
2006 2007 2008
Treatment Timing
g·ai/ae·ha1
ExeterRCARCBExeterHarrowRCA RCB Env1Env2
Weed-free check 100.0a100.0a100.0a100.0a100.0a100.0a 100.0a 100a100a
Atrazine PRE 1000 99.7ab90.4b92.7d98.7b99.4a95.4cd 89.3d 100a95c
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor PRE 1080 93.4cd71.4c91.3d 91.5c78.2b 76.4e 79.3e 98a 46d
Isoxaflutole + atrazine PRE + PRE 40 + 400 99.7ab99.0a97.5bc100.0a98.1a 96.8c 76.6e 100a97bc
Dicamba/atrazine PRE 1000 99.7ab70.8c97.0c100.0a100.0a98.6b 99.0b 96b 100a
Glyphosate EPOST 900 77.4e70.8c97.3bc91.4c87.6b94.8d 95.8c 97b 98ab
Glyphosate LPOST 900 89.0d78.1bc97.5bc91.4c100.0a96.8c 98.8b 100a99a
Dicamba/atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900100.0a100.0a98.8b100.0a100.0a99.0b 99.0b 100a100a
Atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 90099.8ab99.7a97.8bc100.0a100.0a98.5b 99.0b 99a 100a
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor
f
b glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1080 fb 900100.0a99.4a97.8bc100.0a100.0a98.5b 98.5b 100a100a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine fb
glyphosate
PRE + PRE fb
LPOST
40 + 400 fb
900 100.0a99.9a98.5bc100.0a100.0a99.0b 99.0b 100a100a
Glyphosate fb glyphosate EPOST fb
LPOST 900 fb 90097.2bc99.0a97.8bc100.0a100.0a98.4b 98.8b 100a99a
Contrastsb
WF vs glyphosate EPOST * * * * * * * * NS
WF vs glyphosate LPOST * * * * NS * * * NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST * * NS * * * * * NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST * * NS * NS * NS * NS
Glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb
glyphosate LPOST * NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate
LPOST * * NS * * * * * NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate
LPOST * * NS * NS * NS * NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate LPOST * NS NS NS * * * NS NS
aData were pooled by environment (location and year) when the interaction between environment and treatment was non-significant. Means are presented on
the back-transformed scale. Means followed by the same letter within a column are not significantly different according to Fisher’s Protected LSD (P < 0.05);
ba priori orthogonal contrasts; * = significant (P < 0.05); Abbreviations: CHEAL, common lambsquarters, PRE, preemergence; POST, postemergence; EPOST,
early postemergence; LPOST, late postemergence; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2; WF, weed-free; fb, followed by; Env1 = Exeter and Har-
ow 2008; Env2 = RCA and RCB 2008; NS, not significant. r
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and RCA and in 2008 within Environment 1. Delaying
glyphosate application improved common lambsquarters
control by 12%, 12%, 2% and 3% at Exeter in 2006 and
Harrow, RCA and RCB in 2007, respectively, compared
to glyphosate applied EPOST (Table 4). A PRE herbi-
cide fb glyphosate only had higher common lambsquar-
ters control compared to a sequential glyphosate applica-
tion at Exeter in 2006, otherwise the two programs did
not differ. Generally, sequential glyphosate application
increased control by 3% - 28% and 2% - 21% compared
to glyphosate applied alone EPOST or LPOST, respec-
tively, depending on location. The benefits of sequential
glyphosate applications on common lambsquarters have
been previously reported in both corn and soybean where
control was between 5% - 9% and 4% - 9% higher com-
pared to a single application of glyphosate [7,20]. This
makes sense because sequential in-crop applications of
glyphosate offer a grower an opportunity to control
weeds escaping an EPOST glyphosate application while
late emerging weeds may have been too large at the time
of application to be completely controlled by a LPOST
glyphosate application [5,16,18]. However, under certain
environmental conditions, a single application of gly-
phosate has been shown to provide adequate season long
control of common lambsquarters eliminating the need
for a sequential application [13].
3.1.4. Velvetleaf
Preemergence herbicides applied alone provided less
than 75% control of velvetleaf within Environment 1
(Table 5). As expected, this is largely due to the inade-
quate control of velvetleaf with atrazine alone or S-me-
Table 5. Mean percent control of ABUTH in response to several weed management strategies 56 days after treatment at
Ridgetown, ON from 2006 to 2008a.
Rate Weed Control (%)
Treatment Timing
g·ai/ae·ha1 Env1 Env2
Weed-free check 100a 100a
Atrazine PRE 1000 1d 1c
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor PRE 1080 1d 1c
Isoxaflutole + atrazine PRE + PRE 40 + 400 74b 96b
Dicamba/atrazine PRE 1000 71b 99a
Glyphosate EPOST 900 38c 93b
Glyphosate LPOST 900 98a 99ab
Dicamba/atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 70b 99ab
Atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 99a 99ab
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1080 fb 900 99a 100a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine fb glyphosate PRE + PRE fb LPOST40 + 400 fb 900 99a 100a
Glyphosate fb glyphosate EPOST fb LPOST 900 fb 900 98a 99ab
Contrastsb
WF vs glyphosate EPOST * *
WF vs glyphosate LPOST NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST * NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST vs. PRE fb glyphosate LPOST NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST * NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate LPOST * NS
aData were pooled by environment (location and year) when the interaction between environment and treatment was non-significant. Means are presented on
the back-transformed scale. Means followed by the same letter within a column are not significantly different according to Fisher’s Protected LSD (P < 0.05);
ba priori orthogonal contrasts; * = significant (P < 0.05); Abbreviations: ABUTH, velvetleaf; PRE, preemergence; POST, postemergence; EPOST, early poste-
mergence; LPOST, late postemergence; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2; WF, weed-free; fb, followed by; Env1 = RCA 2006, RCB 2006, RCA;
nv2 = RCA 2007 and RCA 2008; NS, not significant. E
Copyright © 2012 SciRes. AJPS
Weed Control, Environmental Impact and Profitability of Weed Management
Strategies in Glyphosate-Resistant Corn
1601
tolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor [32]; highlighted by the 1%
control within both environments. Glyphosate applied
EPOST within Environment 1 also provided limited con-
trol of velvetleaf (38%). Percent control was improved
when glyphosate was preceded by a PRE herbicide. Se-
quential application of glyphosate or glyphosate applied
LPOST both provided 60% better control of velvetleaf
compared to a single glyphosate application EPOST in
Environment1. This is supported by Gonzini et al. [20]
who demonstrated that velvetleaf control was improved
by 13% - 22% and 17% - 27% when PRE herbicides
were followed by glyphosate or sequential applications
of glyphosate were applied, respectively, compared to a
single application of glyphosate.
3.1.5. Annual Grasses
Preemergence herbicides fb glyphosate provided greater
control of annual grasses than glyphosate applied EPOST
at Exeter and RCB in 2006, Exeter and Harrow in 2007,
and Harrow, RCA and RCB in 2008; or glyphosate ap-
plied LPOST at Exeter in 2007 (Table 6). Residual con-
trol from the PRE herbicide in addition to a LPOST
cleanup with glyphosate likely contributed to the in-
creased annual grass control. Annual grass control was
higher when PRE herbicides were followed by gly-
phosate compared to sequential glyphosate applications
at Exeter in 2008; however this relationship was reversed
at Harrow in 2007 and 2008. The only non-glyphosate
treatments expected to control annual grasses were S-me-
tolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor and isoxaflutole + atrazine.
Comparison of these treatments to a sequential gly-
phosate application showed no differences at Harrow
(2007, 2008) and had higher control at Exeter in 2008.
Control of annual grasses increased by 11% - 70% and
6% - 9% with sequential glyphosate applications com-
pared to glyphosate applied alone EPOST or LPOST,
respectively, depending on location (Table 6). As sug-
gested previously, EPOST glyphosate applications alone
may result in weed escapes and LPOST glyphosate ap-
plications alone may not control larger weeds. Applica-
tion of glyphosate LPOST provided 11% - 64% greater
control of annual grasses compared to EPOST applica-
tion; however, this response was location dependent.
Gonzini et al. [20] found that in glyphosate-resistant soy-
bean control of giant foxtail improved by 2% - 15% with
sequential applications of glyphosate POST or PRE her-
bicides followed by a POST application of glyphosate
compared to a single-pass application of glyphosate
POST.
3.2. Crop Injury and Yield
There was no visual crop injury at 7 and 28 DAT for all
treatments in this study (data not shown). At most loca-
tions, PRE herbicides fb glyphosate resulted in higher
yields than when glyphosate was applied alone LPOST
(Table 7). Nurse et al. [6] demonstrated that corn yield
increased when a PRE herbicide (flufenacet + metribuzin)
was fb glyphosate compared to glyphosate alone. They
attributed this response to early season weed control. In
our study, sequential applications of glyphosate also had
higher corn yield by up to 1.9 MT·ha1 compared to gly-
phosate applied LPOST at most locations. We attribute
these higher yields to increased weed control. There was
no difference in corn yield between glyphosate applied
EPOST and sequential glyphosate applications; however,
when glyphosate was applied EPOST yield increased by
1.7 MT·ha1 compared to glyphosate applied LPOST at
Exeter in 2007. Greater control of common ragweed
contributed to higher corn yield at this location with
glyphosate applied EPOST. In contrast, glyphosate ap-
plied EPOST reduced yield by 1.1 MT·ha1 compared to
glyphosate applied LPOST at RCB in 2008. Again, we
attributed this to a decrease in weed control. At all other
locations, there was no difference in corn yield between
EPOST and LPOST glyphosate.
3.3. Environmental Impact
The type of application impacts the EIQ of a pesticide.
Kovach et al. [23] considered that all POST herbicides
have a greater risk due to plant surface persistence,
which factors into the farm worker, consumer and envi-
ronmental components of the EIQ calculation. The EIQ
of PRE applied atrazine, metolachlor, and isoxaflutole
(Table 8) were on average 8.8 lower than the same her-
bicide applied POST. With approximately an order of
magnitude difference in the EIQ, it is critical to consider
the type of application when evaluating the relative risk
of weed control strategies.
The lowest EI of 6.0 was atrazine + isoxaflutole, due
to the low application rate. In contrast, due to higher EIQ
values, the highest EI of herbicide products applied alone
was atrazine + dicamba at 24.6. Clearly, adding another
active ingredient to the weed management strategy will
increase the EI, but for all treatments other than atrazine
+ isoxaflutole, adding glyphosate less than doubles the EI.
For atrazine + isoxaflutole the addition of glyphosate
more than triples the EI.
Sequential glyphosate applications had a higher EI
than all products applied alone and atrazine + isoxaflu-
tole fb glyphosate. The EI of applying glyphosate twice
was equivalent to applying atrazine + dicamba alone,
atrazine fb glyphosate, atrazine + metolachlor fb gly-
phosate and atrazine + isoxaflutole fb glyphosate. Thus,
the addition of the aforementioned PRE herbicides to
Copyright © 2012 SciRes. AJPS
Weed Control, Environmental Impact and Profitability of Weed Management
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1602
Table 6. Mean percent control of annual grasses in response to several weed management strategies 56 days after treatment
at Exeter and Ridgetown, ON from 2006 to 2008 and Harrow, ON from 2007 to 2008a.
Rate Weed Control %
2006 2007 2008
Treatment Timing
g·ai/ae·ha1
ExeterRCBExeter HarrowRCARCBExeter Harrow RCARCB
Weed-free check 100a100a 100a 100a 100a 100a 100a 100a 100a 100a
Atrazine PRE 1000 0d 72.9f0e 0d 65.4d0d 40e 1d 1f 78d
s-metolachlor/atrazine/
benoxacor PRE 1080 71.1b91.4de60.1d6.1d 95.6b0.8b 99ab 30c 55e 81d
Isoxaflutole + atrazine PRE + PRE40 + 400 97.4a93.1cde95.5abc76.6b95.8b0b 99ab 1d 96bc94c
Dicamba/atrazine PRE 1000 0d 68.9f0e 2.8d 82.1c11.0d1f 2d 1f 1e
Glyphosate EPOST 900 48.9bc87.0e84.0c45.0c97.0b97.3bc98abc 30c 75d 98b
Glyphosate LPOST 900 98.1a98.1abc90.6c100a98.8ab99.0ab94cd 94b 99ab99ab
Dicamba/atrazine fb
glyphosate
PRE fb
LPOST 1000 fb 900 39.9c97.6bcd 91.7bc71.4b98.3b93.8c95bcd 45c 92c 99ab
Atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb
LPOST 1000 fb 900 99.7a97.8bc100a 80.2b98.8ab98.8abc92d 93b 99ab100a
s-metolachlor/atrazine/
benoxacor fb glyphosate
PRE fb
LPOST 1080 fb 900 99.0a98.1abc100a 95.6a98.8ab98.5abc100a 100a 99ab 100a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine
f
b glyphosate
PRE + PRE
fb LPOST
40 + 400
fb 900 100a98.8ab100a 96.8a98.8ab98.0abc100a 93b 99ab100a
Glyphosate fb glyphosate EPOST fb
LPOST 900 fb 900 98.0a97.8bc99.8ab100a98.6b98.8abc92d 100a 98ab99ab
Contrastsb
WF vs glyphosate EPOST * * * * * * NS * * *
WF vs glyphosate LPOST NS NS * NS NS NS * * NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate
LPOST * * * * NS NS NS * * *
Glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate
LPOST NS NS * * NS NS NS NS NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST vs PRE
f
b glyphosate LPOST NS NS NS * NS NS * * NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb
glyphosate LPOST * * * * NS NS * * * NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs glyphosate EPOST fb
glyphosate LPOST NS NS * NS NS NS NS * NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate LPOST * * NS * NS NS NS * * NS
aData were pooled by environment (location and year) when the interaction between environment and treatment was non-significant. Means are presented on
the back-transformed scale. Means followed by the same letter within a column are not significantly different according to Fisher’s Protected LSD (P < 0.05). ba
priori orthogonal contrasts. * = significant (P < 0.05); Abbreviations: PRE, preemergence; POST, postemergence; EPOST, early postemergence; LPOST, late
postemergence; WF, weed-free; fb, followed by; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2; NS, not significant.
Copyright © 2012 SciRes. AJPS
Weed Control, Environmental Impact and Profitability of Weed Management
Strategies in Glyphosate-Resistant Corn
1603
Table 7. Mean corn yield in response to several weed management strategies at Exeter and Ridgetown, ON from 2006 to 2008
and Harrow, ON from 2007 to 2008a.
Yield MT·ha1
2006 2007 2008
Treatment
RCA RCB ExeterRCARCBExeterHarrowRCA RCB ExeterHarrow
Weedy check 2.0d 1.4d 7.1c 5.0d 0.7f 5.0e 5.0d 3.7e 8.5d 6.6b 6.3d
Weed-free check 12.8a 10.0a 11.8ab12.7a12.0a11.0ab12.6a 11.2a 15.0a 12.4a16.7ab
Atrazine 8.4b 4.2c 11.0ab9.5c 4.5d 10.0bcd10.1c8.1cd 14.0ab 11.7a12.8c
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor 5.9c 4.6c 11.0ab9.8c 3.0e 9.7cd10.9c7.5d 12.1c 12.0a15.7b
Isoxaflutole + atrazine 12.6a 8.6ab 11.8ab12.1a7.3c 10.8abc12.6ab10.6ab 13.4b 12.8a15.6b
Dicamba/atrazine 12.6a 8.4b 11.3ab11.2b10.4b10.0bcd9.4c 9.1c 13.7b 12.9a11.7c
Glyphosate 12.6a 8.7ab 11.3ab11.8ab11.7ab11.1ab12.6ab10.6ab 13.8b 12.1a15.8b
Glyphosate 12.3a 8.1b 10.7b11.4ab10.7b9.4d 11.1bc9.9bc 14.9a 11.6a14.5b
Dicamba/atrazine fb glyphosate 12.6a 8.5b 12.0a12.5ab12.8a10.5abcd12.6ab10.7ab 14.4a 11.9a15.9b
Atrazine fb glyphosate 13.0a 8.7ab 11.9ab12.0ab11.9ab10.5abcd13.7a11.1a 13.9b 12.8a16.2ab
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor fb
glyphosate 13.7a 9.0ab 12.1a11.9ab11.7ab11.1ab13.4a 10.1abc 13.8b 12.4a17.6a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine fb glyphosate 13.6a 8.8ab 11.9ab12.2ab12.4a11.3a 12.8ab10.5ab 13.8b 12.1a16.5ab
Glyphosate fb glyphosate 13.9a 9.5ab 12.2a12.1ab12.6a 11.2ab13.2ab10.7ab 13.8b 12.5a16.1ab
LSD0.05 2.02 1.49 1.21 1.51 1.23 1.28 2.20 1.10 1.00 3.21 1.50
Contrastsb
WF vs glyphosate EPOST NS * NS NS NS NS NS NS * NS NS
WF vs glyphosate LPOST NS * * NS * * * * NS NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs PRE fb
glyphosate LPOST NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs PRE fb
glyphosate LPOST NS * * NS * * * * * NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST fb glyphosate
LPOST vs PRE fb glyphosate LPOST NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate
EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS
Glyphosate LPOST vs glyphosate
EPOST fb glyphosate LPOST * * * NS * * NS NS * NS NS
Glyphosate EPOST vs glyphosate
LPOST NS NS NS NS NS * NS NS * NS NS
aData were pooled by environment (location and year) when the interaction between environment and treatment was non-significant. Means are presented on
the back-transformed scale.Means followed by the same letter within a column are not significantly different according to Fisher’s Protected LSD (P < 0.05); ba
priori orthogonal contrasts. * = significant (P < 0.05); Abbreviations: PRE, preemergence; POST, postemergence; EPOST, early postemergence; LPOST, late
postemergence; WF, weed-free; fb, followed by; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2; NS, not significant.
Copyright © 2012 SciRes. AJPS
Weed Control, Environmental Impact and Profitability of Weed Management
Strategies in Glyphosate-Resistant Corn
Copyright © 2012 SciRes. AJPS
1604
Table 8. Environmental impact quotient (EIQ) and environmental impact (EI) of weed management strategies used at Exeter
and Ridgetown, ON from 2006 to 2008 and Harrow, ON from 2007 to 2008.
Active ingredient(s) Timing Individual EIQ valuesa Product Rate g·ai/ae·ha1 EIb
Atrazine PRE 13.6 1000 13.6
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor PRE 14.2/13.6 1080 15.0
Atrazine + isoxaflutole PRE 13.6/13.3 440 6.0
Dicamba/atrazine PRE 22.9/28.0 1000 24.6
Glyphosate EPOST 15.3 900 13.8
Glyphosate LPOST 900 13.8
Dicamba/atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 38.4
Atrazine fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1000 fb 900 27.4
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 1080 fb 900 28.8
Atrazine + isoxaflutole fb glyphosate PRE fb LPOST 440 fb 900 19.8
Glyphosate fb glyphosate EPOST fb LPOST 1800 27.5
aEIQ values for each a.i. obtained from Kovach et al. (1999), except for atrazine, metolachlor, and isoxaflutole which were calculated according to formula
developed by Kovach et al. (1992) using PRE vs POST application; bEI values for products with more than one a.i. were obtained by summing the relative
proportion of each a.i.; Abbreviations: EPOST, early postemergence; LPOST, late postemergence; fb, followed by; EIQ, environmental impact quotient; EI,
environmental impact.
glyphosate-resistant corn production is strongly recom-
mended based on equivalent environmental risk as well
as resistance management.
3.4. Profitability Analysis
The results of the profitability analysis indicate that
across all locations and years no significant differences
in profit margins exist between the following treatments:
isoxaflutole + atrazine, glyphosate EPOST, glyphosate
LPOST, dicamba/atrazine followed by (fb) glyphosate,
atrazine fb glyphosate, S-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor
fb glyphosate, isoxaflutole + atrazine fb glyphosate and
sequential applications of glyphosate (Table 9). Aside
from the weedy check treatment, the lowest profit mar-
gins were found in the atrazine and S-metolachlor/ atra-
zine/benoxacor treatments. Other than the weedy check,
relatively few significant differences existed between
treatments within each location and within each year. At
both Ridgetown locations, profit margins across all three
years only were reduced for the atrazine and S-meto-
lachlor/atrazine/benoxacor treatments compared to al-
most all other treatments. At Exeter, profit margins for
the S-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor treatment were lower
than the profit margins for dicamba/atrazine, glyphosate
EPOST and sequential applications of glyphosate. At
Harrow, only the atrazine and dicamba/atrazine treat-
ments were significantly lower in profit margins than
most of the other treatments. Similarly, other than the
weedy check, there are few differences in profit margins
between treatments found within each year. In 2006 and
2007, atrazine and S-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor have
reduced profit margins compared to all other treatments.
In addition, in 2007 isoxaflutole + atrazine had reduced
profit margins compared to several other treatments (Ta-
ble 9). In 2008, there are no differences in profit margins
between any of the herbicide treatments.
Relatively little change in these results can be found
when examining profit margins within each location-year
(Table 10), as the significant differences that exist are
consistent for the most part with the results discussed
above. Among the 11 location-years, treatments that are
found to have recurring lower profit margins compared
to other treatments include the atrazine, S-metolachlor/
atrazine/benoxacor, dicamba/atrazine and glyphosate
LPOST treatments. Overall, profit margins tend to be
somewhat higher for treatments that include glyphosate
applications.
4. Conclusions
In summary, PRE herbicides fb glyphosate LPOST and
sequential glyphosate applications provided greater con-
trol of annual broadleaf weeds and annual grasses com-
pared to single glyphosate applications. This is due to
control of weed escapes through residual control of PRE
herbicides and/or the control provided by a second gly-
phosate application LPOST. Generally, weed control
with glyphosate applied LPOST was greater than weed
control with glyphosate applied EPOST; however, this
Weed Control, Environmental Impact and Profitability of Weed Management
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1605
Table 9. Profit margins over weed control costs by treatment for corn from 2006-2008 (Cdn$ ha1).a
RCA RCB Exeter Harrow
Treatment All locations
(2006-2008) (2006-2008) (2006-2008) (2006-2008)
2006 2007 2008
Weedy check 757.75d 543.18c 543.99d 1114.82c864.61d 536.91c 720.47e 960.65b
Atrazine 1412.22c 1289.26b1125.34bc1621.11ab1713.65bc1169.70b 1259.09d 1747.24a
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor 1351.99c 1131.82b957.38c 1541.53b1989.87ab1049.47b 1167.81d 1763.07a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine 1708.07ab 1748.63a1440.23ab1674.68ab2099.08a1630.41a 1525.66c 1948.72a
Dicamba/atrazine 1640.18b 1630.19a1608.95a1731.40a1565.19c1599.44a 1543.63bc 1767.29a
Glyphosate EPOST 1802.30ab 1743.29a 1700.10a 1740.17a2137.29a 1619.93a 1780.93a 1960.43a
Glyphosate LPOST 1707.24ab 1671.00a1678.37a1631.36ab1918.74abc 1542.99a 1630.55abc 1907.12a
Dicamba/atrazine fb glyphosate 1772.99ab 1733.26a1730.80a1644.70ab2088.29ab1595.85a 1744.40abc 1934.42a
Atrazine fb glyphosate 1809.47a 1764.77a1683.67a1715.58ab2206.08a1637.21a 1760.95ab 1987.19a
s-metolachlor/atrazine/benoxacor fb
glyphosate 1806.33a 1730.03a1670.69a1703.11ab2279.08a1685.68a 1734.02abc 1969.12a
Isoxaflutole + atrazine fb glyphosate1782.02ab 1749.30a1687.47a1672.54ab2137.15a1648.68a 1738.68abc 1925.37a
Glyphosate fb glyphosate 1830.74a 1787.24a 1747.29a 1740.72a 2156.20a 1729.58a 1793.85a 1943.50a
aMeans within columns that are followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other (P < 0.05); Abbreviations: EPOST, early postemer-
gence; LPOST, late postemergence; fb, followed by; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2.
Table 10. Profit margins over weed control costs by treatment for corn, by location-year (Cdn$ ha1).a
Treatment RCA
2006
RCB
2006
Exeter
2006
RCA
2007
RCB
2007
Exeter
2007
Harrow
2007
RCA
2008
RCB
2008
Exeter
2008
Harrow
2008
Weedy check 309.03d 220.85c 1080.86b 759.72d105.20g1257.78bc759.17e560.80f 1305.91c 1005.83c970.05d
Atrazine 1246.26b 609.40b 1653.45a 1420.30c659.38e1451.99abc1504.68cd1201.23de2107.22ab 1757.88ab1922.61bc
s-metolachlor/
atrazine/benoxacor 853.03c 653.65b 1641.72a 1449.31bc408.05f 1195.94c1617.95bcd1093.12e1810.42b 1786.94ab2361.78ab
Isoxaflutole +
atrazine 1875.54a 1260.92a 1754.77a 1799.10a1060.29d1368.47abc1874.78ab1571.23ab1999.48ab 1900.81ab2323.38ab
Dicamba/atrazine 1878.06a 1241.97a 1678.30a 1664.68abc1537.75c 1589.01ab1383.06d1347.83cd2047.12ab 1926.91a1747.31c
Glyphosate EPOST 1882.32a 1286.49a 1690.99a 1765.79a1744.34abc1721.71a1891.90ab1581.77ab2069.48ab 1807.81ab2382.68ab
Glyphosate LPOST 1834.39a 1191.40a 1603.19a 1707.35ab1604.13bc1548.89abc1661.85bcd1471.25abc 2239.57a 1742.00b2175.63abc
Dicamba/atrazine
fb glyphosate 1834.08a 1206.81a 1746.66a 1820.32a 1867.73a1460.07abc1829.48abc1545.37ab2117.86a 1727.37b2347.10ab
Atrazine fb
glyphosate 1910.84a 1257.12a 1743.67a 1766.26a1736.89abc1528.20abc2012.45a 1617.20a2056.99ab 1874.88ab2399.70ab
s-metolachlor/
atrazine/benoxacor
fb glyphosate
2005.32a 1289.86a 1761.85a 1733.03ab1703.40abc1546.49abc1953.18ab1451.72bc2018.80ab 1800.97ab2604.99a
Isoxaflutole +
atrazine fb
glyphosate
1978.42a 1250.31a 1717.31a 1762.15a1795.44ab1543.70abc1853.42ab1507.33abc 2016.67ab 1756.60ab2420.88ab
Glyphosate fb
glyphosate 2040.41a 1372.11a 1776.23a 1763.34a 1847.29a1625.20ab1939.57ab1557.97ab2022.48ab 1820.73ab2372.83ab
aMeans within columns that are followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other (P < 0.05). Abbreviations: EPOST, early postemer-
ence; LPOST, late postemergence; fb, followed by; RCA, Ridgetown Site 1; RCB, Ridgetown Site 2. g
Copyright © 2012 SciRes. AJPS
Weed Control, Environmental Impact and Profitability of Weed Management
Strategies in Glyphosate-Resistant Corn
1606
generally did not translate into a yield benefit and often
resulted in yield losses due to prolonged early season
weed competition. A yield benefit was found with both
sequential herbicide programs compared to a single ap-
plication of glyphosate LPOST. However, corn yield did
not differ between the sequential herbicide programs and
glyphosate applied EPOST.
Based on the EIQ, the sequential herbicide programs
had a greater environmental impact than one-pass herbi-
cides programs, except dicamba/atrazine alone, which
was equivalent to several two-pass treatments. Isoxaflu-
tole/atrazine fb glyphosate had the lowest environmental
impact of the sequential herbicide programs evaluated.
Overall, profit margins were moderately higher for
treatments that included a glyphosate application (gly-
phosate alone or applied LPOST following a PRE herbi-
cide). While glyphosate applied EPOST may appear to
achieve the same management goals, the impact of re-
duced weed control over time could negatively affect
future profit margins. Overall, these data showed that
glyphosate fb glyphosate was the most efficacious and
profitable treatment; however, for the purposes of gly-
phosate stewardship, and reduced environmental impact,
isoxaflutole/atrazine fb glyphosate is also recommended
as a profitable weed management system.
5. Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the technical
assistance of Lynette Brown, Todd Cowan, Elaine Lepp,
and Christy Shropshire.
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