Japanese stiltgrass is a nonnative invasive grass occupying a range of habitats in the eastern United States. Conventional management recommendations include hand-removal, mowing, or a nonselective herbicide application in autumn prior to flowering. However, no study has directly compared the ecological impacts of long-term management strategies on Japanese stiltgrass populations or recruitment and establishment of native flora. An experiment was initiated in 2002 and continued for three growing seasons in mixed pine-hardwood forests in central North Carolina. Conventional treatments included hand-removal, mowing, or an application of glyphosate (1.1 kg ai/ha) once in autumn, and selective removal by hand or fenoxaprop-P (0.19 kg ai/ha) season-long as needed. All treatments were compared to nontreated plots. Percent vegetation cover by species was recorded twice annually. Data were aggregated into five classes; Japanese stiltgrass, other exotic plants, native forbs, native monocots, and native woody plants. The soil seed bank of all species was estimated annually by extracting soil cores and documenting seedling emergence. All Japanese stiltgrass management treatments significantly reduced Japanese stiltgrass cover and seed bank over time compared to no management. However, recruitment and reestablishment of native plants and overall species richness were greater with selective Japanese stiltgrass management treatments including both hand-removal and fenoxaprop-P. Relative cover of other exotic plants decreased 2% to 49% after 3 yr with all Japanese stiltgrass management treatments except season-long hand-removal, which increased relative cover of other exotic plants 51%.

Preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) herbicides registered for large crabgrass control were evaluated for control of Japanese stiltgrass, an invasive, nonnative C4 annual grass. Benefin plus oryzalin, dithiopyr, isoxaben plus trifluralin, oryzalin, oxadiazon, pendimethalin, prodiamine, or trifluralin applied PRE controlled Japanese stiltgrass 87% or greater 8 wk after treatment. Benefin plus trifluralin, metolachlor, or napropamide applied PRE were less effective (78, 39, and 59% control, respectively). Single POST applications of clethodim, fenoxaprop-P, fluazifop-P, or sethoxydim controlled Japanese stiltgrass 50 to 88%. These herbicides applied twice provided 82 to 99% control. Single POST applications of glufosinate controlled Japanese stiltgrass 82 to 85%, whereas two applications provided complete control. Single POST applications of glyphosate were just as effective as two applications in controlling Japanese stiltgrass. Dithiopyr, MSMA, and quinclorac applied POST were ineffective on Japanese stiltgrass. All PRE and POST herbicides tested were equally or more effective on Japanese stiltgrass than on large crabgrass, with the exception of metolachlor applied PRE and dithiopyr or quinclorac applied POST.

Japanese stiltgrass is a nonnative invasive grass that occurs in a variety of habitats and is widely distributed throughout the eastern United States. In natural areas such as forests, herbicide options that selectively control Japanese stiltgrass while preserving native herbaceous and woody vegetation may be desired. The efficacy of three selective postemergence herbicides (fenoxaprop-P, imazapic, and sethoxydim) applied early season, midseason, or late season on monoculture understory stands of Japanese stiltgrass in forests was examined in an experiment conducted at a site in North Carolina and a site in Virginia from 2002 to 2004. The herbicides, averaged across application timings, controlled Japanese stiltgrass at the end of the growing season 83 to 89% and seedhead production 79 to 94% compared with nontreated plants. Seedling emergence was reduced in the spring of 2004 by 89, 70, and 78% by fenoxaprop-P, imazapic, and sethoxydim, respectively, applied in 2003. In another experiment at the North Carolina site in 2002 and 2003, fenoxaprop-P or sethoxydim applied twice (4 wk apart) at half-registered rates controlled Japanese stiltgrass. This study demonstrates that land managers have multiple POST herbicide and application timing, rate, and frequency options for Japanese stiltgrass control.

Preemergence and early postemergence control of three common nursery weeds with BroadStar (flumioxazin), OH2 (oxyfluorfen + pendimethalin), and Snapshot TG (isoxaben + trifluralin) was compared in greenhouse and outdoor experiments. Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta), spotted spurge (Chamaesyce maculata), and common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) were container-grown in the absence of ornamental crops and each herbicide was applied preemergence (labeled application) or postemergence to plants either at the cotyledon to one-leaf stage or at the two- to four-leaf stage. Each of the herbicides controlled hairy bittercress and spotted spurge preemergence and when applied to plants at the cotyledon to one-leaf stage. The herbicides were less effective on hairy bittercress and spotted spurge at the two- to four-leaf stage, yet control was 60 to 89%. Common groundsel was controlled preemergence by each herbicide; however, only BroadStar and OH2 controlled common groundsel ≥ 81% when applied at the cotyledon to one-leaf stage. No postemergence treatment controlled common groundsel when applied at the two-to four-leaf stage.

Preemergence herbicides are applied as often as every eight to ten weeks in container nursery crop production in the southeastern United States. However, weeds often emerge before reapplication. Experiments were conducted to assess the minimum surface-applied doses and the in vitro concentrations of preemergence herbicides required to control susceptible weed species. Greenhouse and outdoor container experiments were conducted to determine surface-applied Treflan (trifluralin) doses required to control large crabgrass and perennial ryegrass. In the greenhouse, 0.8 to 1.1 kg ai/ha (0.7 to 1.0 lb ai/A) was necessary for 6 weeks control. Outdoors, 1.5 to 1.9 kg ai/ha (1.3 to 1.7 lb ai/A) was needed for control 3 weeks after treatment (WAT). However, 6 WAT, 2.6 to 3.4 kg ai/ha (2.3 to 3.0 lb ai/A) was required. Petri dish experiments were conducted to determine the aqueous concentrations of Gallery (isoxaben), Surflan (oryzalin), and Treflan required to control common nursery weeds including eclipta, hairy bittercress, large crabgrass and spotted spurge. The concentration required for 80% shoot inhibition (I80) ranged from 0.4 to 1.5 μg ai/mL for Gallery, 1.2 to 9.8 μg ai/mL for Surflan and 1.1 to 73.8 μg ai/mL for Treflan. The relative response of weeds to aqueous concentrations was consistent with reports from outdoor container efficacy trials.