Annual Strawberry Response to Clopyralid Applied During Fruiting

Abstract As the amount of methyl bromide approved for use in Florida strawberry diminishes, growers are faced with a forced transition to alternative fumigants. Many of these methyl bromide alternatives have been associated with reductions in weed control, requiring additional but complementary measures. POST herbicide options for annual strawberry are limited, resulting in significant portions of the strawberry acreage in Florida being hand-weeded when troublesome weeds escape conventional control methods. Strawberry has shown acceptable tolerance to clopyralid in other areas and production systems; however, its integration into the Florida production system and ramifications of applications during fruiting warrants further research. Eight trials were conducted, with three common strawberry cultivars grown in West Central Florida subjected to POST spray and drip-tape-injected applications of clopyralid. Formation of new strawberry leaves was not affected by clopyralid application, except for a reduction ...