How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

Herbicide common name		Amount/Acre	R.E.I.+	P.H.I.+
(trade name)			(hours)	(days)
When choosing an herbicide, consider information relating to environmental quality. Not all registered pesticides are listed. Always read label of product being used.
FALLOW
A.	OXYFLUORFEN	0.25–0.5 lb a.i.
	(Goal 2XL)	1–2 pt	24	0
	(GoalTender 4F)	0.5–1 pt	24	0
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 14
	COMMENTS: Rate depends on weed size, but the rate used also determines the minimum period between treatment and planting: 90 days for the low rate and 120 days for the high rate. Provides control of annual broadleaves, both preemergence and postemergence. Beds must be worked with a rolling cultivator or similar tool to a depth of 2.5 inches before planting to avoid crop injury or stand loss. Weed control should not be expected after beds are worked before planting. Crop injury can result if beds are not thoroughly worked before planting. This herbicide lasts 4–8 weeks in the soil and has a 10–month plantback restriction for nonlabeled crops.
B.	GLYPHOSATE	0.75–1.5 lb a.i	see label	see label
	(Roundup)
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 9
	COMMENTS: A nonselective foliar herbicide used up to 3 days before emergence of direct-seeded lettuce or before transplanting. Rate depends on weed species and on size. Annual weeds are best controlled when small; control is poor when weeds exceed the maximum size. It gives good annual weed control and some suppression of perennial weeds. Higher application rates are needed for perennial control.
C.	PARAQUAT*	0.49–1 lb a.i.	12	0
	(Gramoxone Inteon)	1.3–2.7 pt
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 22
	COMMENTS: A nonselective foliar herbicide without residual activity. Apply as a band treatment over the crop row or as a broadcast treatment before or during lettuce planting. Controls annual weeds and provides some suppression of perennials. Apply when weeds are succulent and from 1–6 inches tall; larger weeds are less affected. One to two pints of nonionic surfactant are needed/100 gal spray solution. Late afternoon applications increase activity. Controls only emerged plants. Do not apply when weather conditions favor drift.
D.	PELARGONIC ACID	2.25–14 gal/broadcast acre	12	0
	(Scythe)	3%–7% spray solution
	MODE OF ACTION: Unknown.
	COMMENTS: A contact, nonselective foliar herbicide without residual activity. The degree of control is greater when weeds are actively growing, small, and immature; larger weeds are less affected. Apply as a band treatment over the crop row or as a broadcast treatment at or before planting lettuce. Provides control of annuals and some suppression of perennials. For best results, target weeds should be thoroughly wetted with spray solution but not to the point of runoff. Use 75–200 gal spray solution/broadcast acre, with higher volume used when weed density is high. A 3–5% solution is sufficient for most annual weeds while perennial or large annual weeds require a 7% solution.
PREPLANT
A.	BENEFIN	1–1.5 lb a.i.	12	0
	(Balan 60DF)	1.66–2.5 lb
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 3
	COMMENTS: As a preplant treatment for annual weeds, incorporate 2–3 inches deep with a disk, rolling cultivator, or power driven rotary tiller (see label). On clay loams or when disking to incorporate, use the higher rate. Take care to assure that treated soil is properly positioned in the finished bed and not pushed off the bed shoulders.
B.	METAM SODIUM*	50–75 gal	48	14
	(Vapam, Soil Prep, Sectagon, others)
	COMMENTS: A soil fumigant. Beds must be free of large clods and moistened by rainfall or irrigation before application. Soil temperatures should be between 50° and 90°F at a 3–inch depth. Broadcast rate is 50–75 gal/acre, but band applications may be made on the bed to lessen the overall application rate. The label requires a 14–day preplant interval between application and planting. Avoid moving untreated soil into the banded area. Fumigants such as metam sodium are a prime source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are a major air quality issue. Fumigate only as a last resort when other management strategies have not been successful or are not available.
C.	GLYPHOSATE	0.75–1.5 lb a.i	see label	see label
	(Roundup)
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 9
	COMMENTS: A nonselective foliar herbicide used up to 3 days before emergence of direct-seeded lettuce or before transplanting. Rate depends on weed species and on size. Annual weeds are best controlled when small; control is poor when weeds exceed the maximum size. It gives good annual weed control and some suppression of perennial weeds. Higher application rates are needed for perennial control.
D.	PARAQUAT*	0.49–1 lb a.i.	12	0
	(Gramoxone Inteon)	1.96–4 pt
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 22
	COMMENTS: A nonselective foliar herbicide without residual activity. Apply as a band treatment over the crop row or as a broadcast treatment before or during lettuce planting. Controls annual weeds and provides some suppression of perennials. Apply when weeds are succulent and from 1–6 inches tall; larger weeds are less affected. One to two pints of nonionic surfactant are needed/100 gal spray solution. Late afternoon applications increase activity. Controls only emerged plants. Do not apply when weather conditions favor drift.
E.	PELARGONIC ACID	2.25–14 gal/broadcast acre	12	0
	(Scythe)	3%–7% spray solution
	MODE OF ACTION: Unknown.
	COMMENTS: A contact, nonselective foliar herbicide without residual activity. The degree of control is greater when weeds are actively growing, small, and immature; larger weeds are less affected. Apply as a band treatment over the crop row or as a broadcast treatment at or before planting lettuce. Provides control of annuals and some suppression of perennials. For best results, target weeds should be thoroughly wetted with spray solution but not to the point of runoff. Use 75–200 gal spray solution/broadcast acre, with higher volume used when weed density is high. A 3–5% solution is sufficient for most annual weeds while perennial or large annual weeds require a 7% solution.
PREEMERGENCE (Before crop emerges)
A.	PRONAMIDE*	1–2 lb a.i.	24	55
	(Kerb 50W)	2–4 lb
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 3
	COMMENTS: Apply at planting to control annual grasses and certain broadleaf weeds. Rate is dependent on soil type with the lower rate recommended for sandy soils. Incorporate in top 2–3 inches of soil with power driven rotary tiller or rolling cultivators. Best applied as a preemergence band application over the top of the finished bed after seeding; promptly sprinkler irrigate for incorporation. At least 0.5–1 inch rainfall or sprinkler irrigation is needed for best incorporation. Excessive irrigation on lettuce planted when temperatures are hot may leach pronamide too deeply in the soil to be effective, especially in sandy soils. In some counties, can be applied by chemigation. Is also effective when sprayed on beds and the lettuce stand is germinated by drip irrigation.
B.	BENSULIDE	5–6 lb a.i.	12	0
	(Prefar 4EC)	5–6 qt
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 8
	COMMENTS: Can be applied as a preplant treatment and incorporated uniformly to a depth of 1–2 inches before planting. Best applied, however, as a preemergence application over the top of the finished bed after seeding and incorporated with sprinkler irrigation. May also be applied by chemigation through sprinkler or drip irrigation. At least 1 inch rainfall or sprinkler irrigation is needed for best incorporation.
POSTEMERGENCE (After crop and weeds have emerged)
A.	SETHOXYDIM	0.18–0.28 lb a.i.	12	see comments
	(Poast 1.5EC)	1–1.5 pt
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 1
	COMMENTS: Apply in 10–20 gal water plus an oil concentrate at the rate of 1 qt/acre. Rates depend on size and weed species. Annual and perennial grasses must be at the proper size and actively growing for good control. Labels recommend not to cultivate within 5 days before application or within 7 days following application. Do not apply with any other pesticide or fertilizer. Do not harvest for 30 days after application on head lettuce or 15 days on leaf lettuce. Follow label instructions regarding use of adjuvants.
B.	CLETHODIM	0.091–0.12 lb a.i.	24	14
	(Select Max)	12–16 fl oz
	WSSA MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 1
	COMMENTS: For use on leaf lettuce only. Apply in 5-40 gal water/acre with 1% v/v crop oil concentrate. For control of annual and perennial grass weeds, including annual bluegrass. Use higher rates on perennial grasses.
	*  Permit required from county agricultural commissioner for purchase or use. + Restricted entry interval (R.E.I.) is the number of hours (unless otherwise noted) from treatment until the treated area can be safely entered without protective clothing. Preharvest interval (P.H.I.) is the number of days from treatment to harvest. In some cases the REI exceeds the PHI. The longer of two intervals is the minimum time that must elapse before harvest. 1 Group numbers are assigned by the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) according to different modes of action. Although weeds may exhibit multiple resistance across many Groups, mode of action numbers are useful in planning mixtures or rotations of herbicides with different modes of action. For more information, see http://www.plantprotection.org/HRAC/.

PUBLICATION

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Lettuce
UC ANR Publication 3450
Weeds
R. F. Smith, UC Cooperative Extension, Monterey County
S. A. Fennimore, Weed Science/Plant Sciences, UC Davis/Salinas
M. LeStrange, UC Cooperative Extension, Tulare County
Acknowledgment for contributions to Weeds:
D. W. Cudney, Botany, UC Riverside
W. E. Bendixen, UC Cooperative Extension, Santa Barbara County
C. E. Bell, UC Cooperative Extension, San Diego County
W. T. Lanini, Weed Science/Plant Sciences, UC Davis

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