Impact of Drift Rates of Imazethapyr and Low Carrier Volume on Non-Clearfield Rice

Field studies were conducted near Crowley, LA, in 2005 through 2007 to evaluate the effects of simulated herbicide drift on ‘Cocodrie’ rice. Each application was made with the spray volume varying proportionally to herbicide dosage based on a constant spray volume of 234 L ha−1 and an imazethapyr rate of 70 g ai ha−1. The 6.3%, 4.4 g ha−1, herbicide rate was applied at a spray volume of 15 L ha−1 and the 12.5%, 8.7 g ha−1, herbicide rate was applied at a spray volume of 29 L ha−1. An application of imazethapyr at one-tiller, panicle differentiation (PD), and boot resulted in increased crop injury compared with the nontreated rice. The most injury observed occurred on rice treated at the one-tiller timing. Imazethapyr at one-tiller, PD, and boot reduced plant height at harvest and primary and total (primary plus ratoon) crop yield, with the greatest reduction in primary crop yield resulting from imazethapyr applied at boot. Imazethapyr did not affect rice treated at primary crop maturity. Nomenclature: Imazethapyr; rice, Oryza sativa L. ‘Cocodrie’.