Information on the control of scentless chamomile

Abstract

Scentless chamomile is a weed of cropland, roadsides and abandoned agricultural areas. A survey of habitats in a severely infested area found the weed most often in sloughs and low spots in fields. These areas and abandoned agricultural areas are source areas for infesting nearby fields. Field experiments established on a scentless chamomile infested, abandoned area, which was being invaded with grasses, indicated that herbicides (picloram, picloram + 2,4-D, chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron methyl) applied at industrial rates, aided succession in favour of grasses but with time and no mowing the grasses dominated the weed. In field experiments on spring wheat, bromoxynil, clopyralid, metsulfuron methyl and chlorsulfuron controlled scentless chamomile following an effective spring tillage program. In other field experiments, metsulfuron methyl and chlorsulfuron effectively controlled scentless chamomile but a few seed heads remained, containing a sufficient number of seeds for a future infestation.