Weed suppression in green pea was evaluated when green pea was planted after a fall planting of rapeseed, white mustard, rye, or wheat had been incorporated into the soil in spring. Tests were conducted at Mount Vernon, WA, in 1994 and 1995. Weed suppression in peas varied between different green manure crops. One month after planting, the highest weed population was in green pea following wheat, whereas the lowest was in green pea following rapeseed. Rye and white mustard suppressed early weeds relative to wheat by 25 and 30%, respectively. However, at harvest, weed density was similar in green pea planted after all green manure crops. Weed suppression improved when cultivation or metribuzin at 0.14 kg ha−1was used in combination with white mustard, rapeseed, or rye. Pea population was not affected by green manure crops, except for rapeseed, which reduced pea population. In greenhouse experiments, white mustard added to the soil at 20 g per 400 g air dry soil reduced emergence of shepherd's-purse, kochia, and green foxtail by 97, 54, and 49%, respectively. Rapeseed suppressed emergence of shepherd's-purse, kochia, and green foxtail by 76, 25, and 25%, respectively.

Broadleaf weed control ranged from 80% with clomazone at 0.14 kg/ha to 100% with clomazone at 1.12 kg/ha. Broadleaf weed control was higher with clomazone than naptalam or ethalfluralin. The combination of clomazone at 0.14 kg/ha and naptalam at 5 kg/ha or ethalfluralin at 1.25 kg/ha gave more than 90% broadleaf weed control. Clomazone caused chlorosis and bleaching on cucumber leaves but plants rapidly recovered. Cucumber yields were higher in plots treated with clomazone alone at 0.14 to 0.56 kg/ha than with ethalfluralin or naptalam alone. Clomazone dose response studies were conducted in weed-free plots with five cucumber varieties. The 0.28 kg/ha rate caused low levels of visible injury and did not decrease yields. Cultivar differences were more pronounced at higher clomazone rates. The five cucumber cultivars were, in order of increasing clomazone tolerance, ‘Sunre 3537,’ ‘Pioneer,’ ‘Quest,’ ‘Prince,’ and ‘Calypso.’ We concluded that clomazone is an effective and selective herbicide for broadleaf weed control in pickling cucumber.

Bentazon efficacy was evaluated in early, normal, and late plantings of green pea with the addition of four adjuvants: crop oil concentrate (COC), LI-700, Sylgard 309, and X-77. Weed control was improved by all adjuvants in normal and late plantings of green pea, but only by Sylgard 309, X-77, and LI-700 in the early planting. In normal and late plantings, weed control with bentazon applied at 0.56 kg/ha with any adjuvant was equal to weed control with bentazon applied alone at 1.12 kg/ha. Bentazon injury on green pea plants varied from slight to severe, with the lowest injury resulting from bentazon applied with COC and LI-700 and highest injury from bentazon applied with Sylgard 309. Bentazon injury was greater in normal and late plantings than in the early planting.

Field and greenhouse experiments evaluated the differential response of 15 green pea varieties to metribuzin applied preemergence. ‘Charo,’ ‘CMG 298,’ ‘Leah,’ ‘Scout,’ and ‘Puget’ were the most tolerant, whereas ‘Bolero’ and ‘Sundance’ were the most susceptible varieties under greenhouse conditions. Variable chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv), efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fmax), and leaf area were reduced sharply by metribuzin in susceptible varieties, and metribuzin susceptibility correlated highly with the reduction in shoot dry weight. Green pea varieties grown under field conditions responded to metribuzin similarly to pea varieties grown under greenhouse conditions. Metribuzin reduced shoot dry weight more in peas grown at 30/25 C than in those grown at 25/20 and 20/15 C. Also, metribuzin injured peas more when grown in soil saturated to field capacity compared to soil at 70 and 40% of field capacity.

Broadleaf weed control with trifluralin, oxyfluorfen, pendimethalin, clopyralid, pyridate, and metolachlor in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) grown for seed was evaluated. No single herbicide controlled broadleaf weeds adequately, with the exception of pendimethalin at 1.92 and 3.84 kg a.i./ha. However, combinations of trifluralin + oxyfluorfen, pendimethalin + clopyralid, and oxyfluorfen + pyridate effectively controlled weeds and did not reduce seed yields. Herbicides caused slight to moderate injury symptoms to cabbage plants, with the greatest injury caused by pendimethalin and the least by trifluralin and metolachlor. However, plants recovered from these symptoms and appeared normal at the bud stage. None of the herbicides applied alone or in combinations adversely affected cabbage population, height, or flowering date. Chemical names used: 3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid (clopyralid); 2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide (metolachlor); 2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzene (oxyfluorfen); N-(1-ethylpropyl)-3,4-dimethyl-2,6-dinitrobenzenamine (pendimethalin); O-(6-chloro-3-phenyl-4-pyridazin-yl)S-octylcarbonothioate (pyridate); 2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenamine (trifluralin).