EFFECT OF COMBINED AND SPLIT APPLICATIONS OF PHOMOPSIS CONVOLVULUS AND DICAMBA ON CONTROL OF FIELD BINDWEED (CONVOLVULUS ARVENSIS L.)

Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.) is a serious weed in agricultural areas and its control is difficult with existing weed control strategies. A new potential control method with a fungus, Phomopsis convolvulus, used as a bioherbicide, has been suggested. In this study, when the bioherbicide application was combined with the chemical herbicide dicamba, (3,6-dichloro-O-anisic acid), weed control was improved at the highest rates of bioherbicide and herbicide. Tank mix application of P. convolvulus and dicamba seems to have acted synergistically to increase field bindweed mortality. When P. convolvulus was applied one and three days after dicamba as a split application, with the highest rate of dicamba used, lower rate of P. convolvulus was even more effective than combined applications.