Zoysiagrass and weed response to herbicides during post-dormancy transition

Winter annual weeds begin to germinate as zoysiagrass enters winter dormancy in autumn. These weeds can suppress zoysiagrass shoot development the following spring through competition for sunlight, moisture, and nutrients. Previous research involving winter annual weed control in dormant turfgrass has been conducted primarily on bermudagrass, but less is known about how various herbicides used for this purpose will influence zoysiagrass after dormancy transition. Two field studies were conducted over 7 site-years between 2016 and 2020 to evaluate 17 herbicide treatments that are typically marketed for broadleaf weed control in spring and 18 herbicide treatments that are typically marketed for annual bluegrass control during winter for their effects on a variety of weeds and semidormant 'Meyer' and dormant 'Zeon' zoysiagrass, respectively. Glufosinate, glyphosate + simazine, and indaziflam + simazine controlled Persian speedwell by more than 90% and control was significantly greater with auxin-type and other herbicide combinations. Dandelion and Persian speedwell were better controlled with a combination of simazine and glyphosate than when glyphosate was applied alone. Glufosinate controlled dandelion, hairy bittercress, and Persian speedwell more effectively than glyphosate. In Meyer zoysiagrass, glyphosate and glufosinate controlled annual bluegrass equivalently, whereas in Zeon zoysiagrass, glyphosate controlled annual bluegrass better than glufosinate did. Foramsulfuron or treatments that contained simazine resulted in >90% control of annual bluegrass. A flumioxazin admixture with diquat, glufosinate, or glyphosate improved annual bluegrass control. Herbicide treatments that contain diquat, glufosinate, glyphosate, and metsulfuron alone or in a tank-mix should not be applied to Meyer zoysiagrass with 5% visual green turf cover due to high injury potential. In both studies, glufosinate was more injurious to Meyer and Zeon zoysiagrass than glyphosate. Overall, several herbicides that control annual bluegrass or broadleaf weeds can be safely applied to Zeon zoysiagrass during dormancy or Meyer zoysiagrass during post-dormancy transition.