Weed Control and Eradication Studies in Miscanthus x giganteus.

Because it is reproductively sterile, vegetative establishment of Miscanthus x giganteus (M. x g.) is a costly investment, and to a great extent successful establishment depends on controlling endemic weed populations. Since there are no significant M. x g. plantings in the U.S. to date, the limited work that has been done on weed control with the crop comes from the E.U. Current research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign focuses on the phytotoxic effects of a wide range of herbicide families on M. x g. This poster will present results of greenhouse experiments indicating a number of herbicides with different modes of action that could be used on M. x g. with no or minimal plant injury (atrazine; isoxaflutole, chloracetamides; pendimethalin; imazethapyr; 2,4-D; dicamba; mesotrione; atrazine; bromoxynil; and several sulfonylureas and imidizolidinones). However, the results also indicate other herbicides can be very injurious to M. x g. (ACCase inhibitors and the HPPD inhibitors, tembotrione and topramezone). A second aspect of this research is the eradication of M. x g. Although it is doubtful that this plant would ever become an invasive weed, it is nonetheless necessary to identify methods of eradicating the crop should the need arise. The results of field research involving fall 2007 applications of glyphosate and spring 2008 experiments incorporating glyphosate applications with and without tillage will be reported.