Herbicide control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in sunflower, soybean and maize

Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asteraceae) has become a major threat to agriculture in many parts of the world. Global agriculture relies on the use of herbicides against A. artemisiifolia in the crops most at risk – sunflower, maize and soybean. This paper aims to provide an overview of the chemical control of A. artemisiifolia and to summarize the latest knowledge in this field. The sunflower is the crop most threatened by A. artemisiifolia, as both plants belong to the same family. The best control level was achieved after the preemergence application of flurochloridone and the combination of dimethenamid-P + pendimethalin. The introduction of the non-GM Clearfield and ExpressSun technologies allowed effective control with postemergence herbicides in sunflower varieties tolerant to imidazolinone and tribenuron-methyl herbicides. In soybean, the highest efficacy was observed in trials with imazamox and bentazone alone and in combination. The combination of imazamox with bentazone had a positive effect on yield compared to untreated stands. The introduction of transgenic soybeans tolerant to glyphosate led to increased glyphosate use and the predictable emergence of weed resistance in America in 1996. Preplant followed by postemergence herbicides were critical for the effective control of glyphosate-resistant A. artemisiifolia in glufosinate tolerant soybean. In maize, the highest efficacy was obtained after the application of glufosinate, bromoxynil and mesotrione + atrazine. Of the above substances for the control of A. artemisiifolia in maize, only mesotrione is currently registered in the EU.