by James T. Brosnan, Joseph DeFrank, Micah S. Woods, and Greg K. Breeden*
Control of goosegrass is difficult in the pan-Pacific region. No herbicides are currently labeled for selective control of goosegrass in seashore paspalum turf, a species used regularly on golf courses throughout the tropics. Sequential granular applications of sodium chloride (99% sodium chloride, 1% sodium silicoaluminate, 83% 0.5 to 0.25 mm diam) at 488 kg/ha did not effectively (. 70%) control goosegrass in this study. Goosegrass injury following sequential granular applications of sodium chloride, at 488 kg/ha, subsided at 6 wk after initial treatment (WAIT). A single application of MSMA at 2.40 kg/ha plus metribuzin at 0.56 kg/ha provided 96 and 83% control of goosegrass 8 WAIT in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Sequential applications of MSMA plus metribuzin at lower rates yielded similar results. Applications of foramsulfuron did not effectively control (. 70%) goosegrass in this study, suggesting a possible tolerance to this treatment. Applications of MSMA plus metribuzin controlled goosegrass (. 70%), but induced phytotoxic injury to seashore paspalum turf. Additional research is needed to evaluate strategies for POST control of goosegrass in seashore paspalum turf that do not induce phytotoxic turfgrass injury after application.
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Nomenclature: Metribuzin; MSMA; foramsulfuron; goosegrass, Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. ELEIN; seashore paspalum, Paspalum vaginatum Swartz. PASVA.