A three year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of soil-inversion, cover crops and herbicide regimes for Palmer amaranth between-row (BR) and within-row (WR) management in glufosinate-resistant cotton. The main plots were two soil-inversion treatments: fall inversion tillage (IT) and non-inversion tillage (NIT). The subplots were three cover crop treatments: crimson clover, cereal rye and winter fallow; and sub subplots were four herbicide regimes: preemergence (PRE) alone, postemergence (POST) alone, PRE + POST and a no herbicide check (None). The PRE herbicide regime consisted of a single application of pendimethalin at 0.84 kg ae ha⁻¹ plus fomesafen at 0.28 kg ai ha⁻¹. The POST herbicide regime consisted of a single application of glufosinate at 0.60 kg ai ha⁻¹ plus S-metolachlor at 0.54 kg ai ha⁻¹ and the PRE + POST regime combined the prior two components. At 2 weeks after planting (WAP) cotton, Palmer amaranth densities, both BR and WR, were reduced ≥90% following all cover crop treatments in the IT. In the NIT, crimson clover reduced Palmer amaranth densities >65% and 50% compared to winter fallow and cereal rye covers, respectively. At 6 WAP, the PRE and PRE + POST herbicide regimes in both IT and NIT reduced BR and WR Palmer amaranth densities >96% over the three years. Additionally, the BR density was reduced ≥59% in no-herbicide (None) following either cereal rye or crimson clover when compared to no-herbicide in the winter fallow. In IT, PRE, POST and PRE + POST herbicide regimes controlled Palmer amaranth >95% 6 WAP. In NIT, Palmer amaranth was controlled ≥79% in PRE and ≥95% in PRE + POST herbicide regimes over three years. POST herbicide regime following NIT was not very consistent. Averaged across three years, Palmer amaranth controlled ≥94% in PRE and PRE + POST herbicide regimes regardless of cover crop. Herbicide regime effect on cotton yield was highly significant; the maximum cotton yield was produced by the PRE + POST herbicide regime. Averaged over three years, the PRE, POST and PRE + POST cotton yields were about three times higher than no herbicide regime. In a conservation tillage production system, a PRE + glufosinate POST herbicide based regime coupled with a cereal rye cover crop may effectively control Palmer amaranth and maximize cotton yields.

A three year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of soil inversion, cover crops and spring tillage methods for Palmer amaranth between-row (BR) and within-row (WR) management in glufosinate-resistant cotton. Main plots were two soil inversion treatments: fall inversion tillage (IT) and non-inversion tillage (NIT). Subplots were three cover treatments: crimson clover, cereal rye or none (i.e., winter fallow); and the sub subplots were four secondary spring tillage methods: disking followed by (fb) cultivator (DCU), disking fb chisel plow (DCH), disking fb disking (DD) and no tillage (NT). Averaged over years and soil inversion, the crimson clover produced maximum cover biomass (4390 kg ha⁻¹) fb cereal rye (3698 kg ha⁻¹) and winter fallow (777 kg ha⁻¹). Two weeks after planting (WAP) and before the postemergence (POST) application, Palmer amaranth WR and BR density were two- and four-times less, respectively, in IT than NIT. Further, Palmer amaranth WR and BR density were reduced two-fold following crimson clover and cereal rye than following winter fallow at 2 WAP. Without IT, early season Palmer amaranth densities were 40% less following DCU, DCH and DD, when compared with IT. Following IT, no spring tillage method improved Palmer amaranth control. The timely application of glufosinate + S-metolachlor POST tank mixture greatly improved Palmer amaranth control in both IT and NIT systems. The highest cotton yields were obtained with DD following cereal rye (2251 kg ha⁻¹), DD following crimson clover (2213 kg ha⁻¹) and DD following winter fallow (2153 kg ha⁻¹). On average, IT cotton yields (2133 kg ha⁻¹) were 21% higher than NIT (1766 kg ha⁻¹). Therefore, from an integrated weed management standpoint, an occasional fall IT could greatly reduce Palmer amaranth emergence on farms highly infested with glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth. In addition, a cereal rye or crimson clover cover crop can effectively reduce early season Palmer amaranth emergence in both IT and NIT systems. For effective and season-long control of Palmer amaranth, one or more POST applications of glufosinate + residual herbicide as tank mixture may be needed in a glufosinate-based cotton production system.

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate weed control provided by glyphosate, glufosinate, and MSMA applied alone or in mixture with residual and nonresidual last application (LAYBY) herbicides. Herbicide treatments included glyphosate early postemergence (EPOST) alone or followed by glyphosate, glufosinate, or MSMA late-postemergence (LPOST) alone or tank-mixed with one of the following LAYBY herbicides: carfentrazone-ethyl at 0.3 kg ai/ha, diuron at 1.12 kg ai/ha, flumioxazin at 0.07 kg ai/ha, fluometuron at 1.12 kg ai/ha, lactofen at 0.84 kg ai/ha, linuron at 0.56 kg ai/ha, oxyfluorfen at 1.12 kg ai/ha, prometryn at 1.12 kg ai/ha, or prometryn + trifloxysulfuron at 1.12 kg ai/ha + 10 g ai/ha. Residual herbicides were also applied alone LPOST. Weeds evaluated included barnyardgrass, broadleaf signalgrass, coffee senna, entireleaf morningglory, hemp sesbania, ivyleaf morningglory, johnsongrass, large crabgrass, Palmer amaranth, pitted morningglory, prickly sida, redroot pigweed, sicklepod, smooth pigweed, spiny amaranth, and velvetleaf. Treatments containing MSMA provided lower average weed control compared to those containing glyphosate or glufosinate, and residual herbicides applied alone provided inadequate weed control compared to mixtures containing a nonresidual herbicide. Across 315 of 567 comparisons (55%), when a LAYBY herbicide was added, weed control increased. The most difficult to control weed species at all locations was pitted morningglory. Barnyardgrass and hemp sesbania at the Mississippi location and hemp sesbania at the Louisiana location were collectively difficult to control across all treatments as well.

The identification of alternate hosts that can act as virus inoculum sources and vector reservoirs in the landscape is critical to understanding virus epidemics. Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) is a serious pathogen in cotton production and is transmitted by the cotton/melon aphid, Aphis gossypii, in a persistent, circulative, and non-propagative manner. CLRDV was first reported in the United States in Alabama in 2017, and thereafter in several cotton-producing states. CLRDV has since established itself in the southeastern United States. The role of alternate hosts in CLRDV establishment is not clear. Fourteen common plant species in the landscape, including crops, weeds, and ornamentals (cotton, hollyhock, marshmallow, country mallow, abutilon, arrowleaf sida, okra, hibiscus, squash, chickpea, evening primrose, henbit, Palmer amaranth, and prickly sida) were tested as potential alternate hosts of CLRDV along with an experimental host (Nicotiana benthamiana) via aphid-mediated transmission assays. CLRDV was detected following inoculation in hibiscus, okra, N. benthamiana, Palmer amaranth, and prickly sida by RT-PCR, but not in the others. CLRDV accumulation determined by RT-qPCR was the highest in N. benthamiana compared with cotton and other hosts. However, aphids feeding on CLRDV-infected prickly sida, hibiscus, and okra alone were able to acquire CLRDV and back-transmit it to non-infected cotton seedlings. Additionally, some of the alternate CLRDV hosts supported aphid development on par with cotton. However, in a few instances, aphid fitness was reduced when compared with cotton. Overall, this study demonstrated that plant hosts in the agricultural landscape can serve as CLRDV inoculum sources and as aphid reservoirs and could possibly play a role in the reoccurring epidemics of CLRDV in the southeastern United States.

Cover crops are being increasingly recommended as an integrated approach to controlling glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth and other troublesome weeds. Thus, a field experiment was conducted in 2010 through 2012 to evaluate the critical period for weed control (CPWC) in cotton as affected by a cereal rye cover crop and tillage. The management systems evaluated included conventional tillage following winter fallow, conservation tillage (CT) following winter fallow, and CT following a cereal rye cover crop managed for maximum biomass. Throughout most of the growing season, weed biomass in cereal rye cover crop plots was less than the CT winter-fallow system in both years and less than both CT winter fallow and conventional tillage in 2012. The CPWC was shortest in 2010 following conventional tillage; however, in 2012, production system influences on CPWC were less. The presence of the rye cover crop delayed the critical timing for weed removal (CTWR) approximately 8 d compared with fallow treatment both years, while conventional tillage delayed CTWR about 2 wk compared with winter fallow. Relative yield losses in both years did not reach the 5% threshold limit until about 2 wk after planting (WAP) for CT following winter fallow, 3 WAP for CT following a cover crop, and 3.5 WAP following conventional tillage. Thus, CT following winter fallow should be avoided to minimize cotton yield loss.

Our changing climate will likely have serious implications on agriculture production through its effects on food and feed crop yield and quality, forage and livestock production, and pest dynamics, including troublesome weed control. With regards to weeds, climatic variables control many plant physiology functions that impact flowering, fruiting, and seed dormancy; therefore, an altered climate can result in a weed species composition shift within agro-ecosystems. Weed species will likely adapt to a changing climate due to their high phenotypic plasticity and vast genetic diversity. Higher temperatures and CO₂ concentrations, and altered moisture conditions, not only affect the growth of weeds, but also impact the effectiveness of herbicides in controlling weeds. Therefore, weed biology, growth characteristics, and their management are predicted to be affected greatly by changing climatic conditions. This manuscript attempted to compile the available information on general principles of weed response to changing climatic conditions, including elevated CO₂ and temperature under diverse rainfall patterns and drought. Likewise, we have also attempted to highlight the effect of soil moisture dynamics on the efficacy of various herbicides under diverse agro-ecosystems.