Effect of Norflurazon (Zorial Rapid 80®) Mixed with Pendimethalin (Prowl®) and Prometryn (Caparol®) on Cotton Stand Establishment and Yield

The effect on cotton stand establishment and seed cotton yield of various rates of norflurazon applied in combination with pendimethalin or both pendimethalin and prometryn was determined in field studies conducted at the Maricopa Agricultural Center in 1994 and 1995 in a sandy loam soil. Cotton stand counts were highest when only pendimethalin was applied or when no herbicide was used. Tank mixing prometryn with pendimethalin did not significantly reduce plant populations. Tank mixing increasing amounts of norflurazon with pendimethalin resulted in decreasing plant populations in both the wet and the dry plant experiments. Tank mixing increasing rates of norflurazon with both pendimethalin and prometryn caused a similar decline in plant populations in both the wet and the dry plant experiments. The symptoms of dying cotton seedlings and the stand count data indicated that notflurazon was the component of the tank mixtures that caused seedling mortality. The effect of the herbicide treatments on seed cotton yields was much less than on stand counts, but the same trends discussed above were evident. However, at the label rate for norflurazon in coarse textured soils, 0.5 lb a. i./A, seed cotton yields were not significantly reduced. The smaller effect of the herbicide treatments on seed cotton yields was due to the bush type nature of DPL 5415 and increased growth of surviving plants when plant populations were reduced. The data indicates that yield losses were not significant unless plant populations were reduced below about 20,000 to 25,000 plants /A