Metribuzin (Sencor, Canopy, etc.) is a PSII inhibitor (Group 5) herbicide that provides residual control of an assortment of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in soybean, including Palmer amaranth.
With the extensive use of PPO inhibitors (Group 14) and chloroacetamide (Group 15) herbicides in soybean and rotational crops such as corn and cotton, use of an additional mode of action (MOA) is a sound strategy to reduce the risk of resistance to these other herbicide MOAs.
The handicap to metribuzin use is the sensitivity of soybean varieties to this herbicide. Other environmental factors, including soil texture, organic matter, rainfall, soil pH and product use rate, may also play a part in sensitivity.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture conducted a greenhouse screening of soybean varieties, testing their tolerance to metribuzin at a rate of 0.5 lb ai/ac or 10.67 oz/ac of a 75DF metribuzin product.
The following tables break down into an injury scale:
Slight (Table 1) – Some symptoms observed in the greenhouse but unlikely to injure soybean plants in the field at a 1X rate if applied to the correct soil texture at the appropriate soil pH. It is recommended that these soybean varieties be planted if metribuzin is intended to be applied.
Moderate (Table 2) – Likely to observe some injury in the field, even when applying a premix product that contains a lower rate of metribuzin.
Severe (Table 3) – Use of any metribuzin-containing product would likely cause considerable injury to these soybean varieties.
Please note that most varieties show an acceptable tolerance to metribuzin. Choose a variety with a high level of tolerance.
Please read and follow all labels. Contact Jeremy Ross, assistant professor/Extension agronomist – soybean, University of Arkansas, with questions or comments at jross@uaex.edu or 501-671-2148.
The research was funded by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, which also contributed this article.