Effect of Soil Carbon on Phytotoxicity of Topramezone-treated Irrigation Water to St. Augustinegrass

Topramezone is a 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)inhibiting herbicide that was labeled for aquatic use in Florida in 2013 with a maximum submersed application concentration of 50 mu g.L-1. Preliminary greenhouse studies reported that the concentration of herbicide that reduces growth by 10% compared with untreated controls (EC10) of topramezone in irrigation water applied to st. augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) grown in 100% sand was 3.5 ppb. The objective of these experiments was to determine whether substrate carbon content influenced the response of 'Palmetto' st. augustinegrass to irrigation with topramezone-treated water. The herbicide was applied at concentrations ranging from 0 to 120 ppb to mature plants grown in 7.5-inch-diameter nursery containers. Pots were filled with washed masonry sand amended with one of five carbon contents: 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 1.5%, and 4.0%. Plants were irrigated twice weekly for 4 weeks with topramezone-containing water and grown out for 12 weeks after the final topramezone treatment to evaluate possible recovery from any herbicide damage. Plant material was clipped as needed for a total of eight harvests and each harvest was dried and weighed. EC10 values for 'Palmetto' st. augustinegrass grown in substrates with 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 1.5%, and 4.0% carbon were 3.7, 7.3, 10.1, 28.1, and 25.7 ppb, respectively. These experiments revealed that substrate carbon content has a noteworthy effect on the susceptibility of 'Palmetto' st. augustinegrass to topramezone in irrigation water. However, regular irrigation with water containing high concentrations of topramezone is likely to cause damage to 'Palmetto' st. augustinegrass in Florida's sandy soils.