Effect of adjuvants on the rainfastness and performance of tribenuron-methyl on broad-leaved weeds

The influence of a non-ionic surfactant (20% isodecyl alcohol ethoxylate plus 0.7% silicone surfactants), an anionic surfactant (25.5% alkylethersulfate sodium salt), and a vegetable oil (95% natural rapeseed oil with 5% compound emulsifiers) on the performance and rainfastness of a new commercial formulation of tribenuron-methyl was assessed on four broad-leaved weeds: wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis), scentless mayweed (Tripleurospermum inodorum), common poppy (Papaver rhoeas), and common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album). In one experiment, six doses of tribenuron-methyl alone or in a mixture with each of the three adjuvants were applied to each weed species at two different leaf stages. In another experiment, the plants of T. inodorum were sprayed and subsequently subjected to 3 mm of rain at 1, 2, and 4 h after treatment (HAT). The activity of tribenuron-methyl was significantly enhanced by all the adjuvants on all the weed species and only minor differences were observed among the tested adjuvants. The impact of the adjuvants varied among the weed species and growth stages. The highest response to the inclusion of adjuvants in the spray liquid was found at the late growth stage and on C. album, followed by P. rhoeas and T. inodorum, while S. arvensis was less responsive to the adjuvants. All the adjuvants significantly improved the rainfastness of tribenuron-methyl on T. inodorum, with differences among the adjuvants being more pronounced when rain occurred shortly after herbicide application. The effect of the vegetable oil on tribenuron-methyl's rainfastness was significantly lower than that of the surfactants with rain at 1 HAT, while no significant differences among the three adjuvants were observed when rain occurred at 2 and 4 HAT.