2026/06/15 by Joshua W. A. Miranda, Luisa C. Baccin, Marcelo L. Moretti · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Berry genetics and cultivation research #Weed Control and Herbicide Applications #Turfgrass Adaptation and Management
paper · doi:10.21273/horttech05884-26
openalex publication_date 2026/06/15 · openalex created_date 2026/06/16 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/16
Cranberry growers in the Pacific Northwest increasingly contend with complex challenges in weed and moss management. This study evaluated cranberry crop safety and Sphagnum moss control following dormant-season applications of pyroxasulfone, applied alone or in combination with sulfentrazone or flumioxazin, using a simulated chemigation system delivering 5000 L·ha −1 . A field experiment was conducted in a commercial cranberry bog near Bandon, OR, in 2022 and 2023, with treatments applied to the same plots in both years. Cranberry exhibited high tolerance to all herbicide treatments. Visual injury was minimal (<2%) and was not influenced by treatment, year, or assessment timing. Upright growth and berry weight were unaffected by herbicide treatments. However, cranberry yield differed among treatments, with lower yields observed in treatments containing flumioxazin. Moss control was strongly influenced by herbicide treatment. Pyroxasulfone applied alone provided negligible Sphagnum moss control (<10%) and sulfentrazone provided limited control (≤15%). Treatments containing flumioxazin provided higher levels of moss control than either herbicide applied alone, reaching up to 59% control at 20 weeks after treatment, whereas mixtures of flumioxazin with pyroxasulfone reached 68% to 69% control; however, these values remain below levels typically considered acceptable for effective moss control. These results indicate that pyroxasulfone can be safely applied to dormant cranberries via chemigation and may provide a new preemergence herbicide option for cranberry production.