Cover Crop and Herbicide Combinations for Weed Control in Polyethylene-mulched Bell Pepper

Field trials were conducted in 2006 and 2007 to evaluate the performance of 'Caliente' mustard cover crop and herbicide combinations for weed control in polyethylene-mulched bell pepper (Capsicum annum,). 'Caliente' mustard is a blend of brown mustard (Brassica juncea) and white mustard (Sinapis alba). Herbicide treatments included 1/2x and 1x rates of two pre-emergence (PRE) and two postdirected (PD) herbicides. PRE herbicides were applied 1 week before transplanting, whereas PD herbicides were applied at 4 to 5 weeks after transplanting. 'Caliente' mustard did not supplement weed control or improve bell pepper yield in herbicide-treated plots. There was a significant herbicide selection by application rate interaction for large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) control and bell pepper yield, but only the main effect of herbicide selection and application rate affected the control of purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus), yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus), and palmer amaranth (Amaranthus painter. Bell pepper injury was not more than 9% from all herbicides and application rates. Except for large crabgrass, control of all weed species improved by increasing the application rate from 1/2x to 1x. S-metolachlor PRE provided more broad-spectrum weed control than other herbicides. Halosulfuron applied PRE or PD was selective to purple nutsedge and yellow nutsedge, whereas trifloxysulfuron performed better than halosulfuron on palmer amaranth and large crabgrass. Plots treated with the 1x rate of S-metolachlor or trifloxysulfuron produced the highest marketable bell pepper yield among the herbicide treatments, but no herbicide treatment allowed for marketable yield equivalent to the weed-free treatment.