Abstract: Sericea lespedeza is an invasive weed in the tallgrass prairies of the Southern Great Plains. Field experiments were initiated in 1995 at three locations in central Oklahoma to evaluate control of sericea lespedeza for several years after treatment with herbicide. Herbicide treatments included triclopyr at 560 and 840 g ae/ha, fluroxypyr at 210 and 560 g ae/ha, and metsulfuron at 13 and 21 g ai/ha applied at simple-stem (SS), branched-stem (BS), and flowering (FL) growth stages of sericea lespedeza. At all three locations, applications of triclopyr and fluroxypyr at the BS growth stage resulted in less than 4% of the pretreatment sericea lespedeza stem density remaining in the first growing season after treatment (GSAT). Metsulfuron applied at the FL growth stage resulted in 0 to 9% of the pretreatment stem density remaining in the first GSAT. Regardless of rate, triclopyr and fluroxypyr applied at the BS growth stage provided the most consistent long-term control of sericea lespedeza. Percentage of pretreatment stem density remaining with these treatments was 0 to 20% at two locations in the third GSAT, and 4 to 15% at one location in the fifth GSAT. Aboveground biomass yields of desirable grasses (bermudagrass, indiangrass, and little bluestem) at two locations were greater than that of the untreated check in the second and third GSAT in all herbicide treatments. But biomass yield of bermudagrass did not increase when sericea lespedeza was controlled at the location with eroded soil conditions.
Nomenclature: Fluroxypyr; metsulfuron; triclopyr; bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon L. #3 CYNDA; indiangrass, Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash; little bluestem, Shizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash; sericea lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata L. # LESCU; western ragweed, Ambrosia psilostachya DC. # AMBPS.
Additional index words: Pasture, tallgrass prairie.
Abbreviations: BS, branched stem; FL, flowering; GSAT, growing season after treatment; SS, simple stem.
