Effect of herbicide application method on weed management and crop injury in transplanted cantaloupe production

Field trials were conducted at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, GA, from 2000 to 2003 to study the effects of herbicide placement on weed control and cantaloupe injury. Herbicides halosulfuron (0.036 kg ai/ha), sulfentrazone (0.14 and 0.28 kg ai/ha), clomazone (0.6 kg ai/ha), and a nontreated control were evaluated. Methods of herbicide application were preplant incorporated (PPI) under the polyethylene mulch before transplanting, posttransplanting over-the-top (POST-OTT), and posttransplanting-directed (POST-DIR) to the shoulders of polyethylene-covered seedbeds. Across all herbicide treatments, PPI and POST-DIR applications were the least injurious, with POST-OTT applications the most injurious. In general, sulfentrazone (0.28 kg ai/ha) was the most injurious herbicide and halosulfuron the least injurious, regardless of herbicide placement. Halosulfuron effectively controlled yellow nutsedge and provided versatility in methods of application, with minimal injury to transplanted cantaloupe.