Burcucumber is an annual broadleaf weed that reproduces by seed. It is more prevalent than wild cucumber and distinguished from this weed by its white flowers and flat, eggshaped pods. The pods, which are in clusters, bear single seeds and are covered with barbed, prickly bristles. Burcucumber is found primarily in the riverbottom farmland of central and southern Ohio, but has recently been reported in other areas. It is extremely competitive, and vines may spread as far as 25 feet from a single plant. Seed may germinate throughout the spring and summer, making seasonlong control difficult. The vines cover soybeans and twine around corn, hindering harvest operations.
Corn. Balance Pro and Epic applied preplant or preemergence provides effective burcucumber control. Preplant or preemergence application of a high rate of atrazine can provide some control of burcucumber, but a postemergence treatment is generally required. While several postemergence herbicides are effective on small plants, the lateemerging burcucumber plants often grow rapidly enough to cause problems. A successful burcucumber control program often involves late applications (sometimes with highclearance sprayers) to control these lateemerging plants. Other treatments include Accent (2/3 ounce/A), Beacon (3/4 ounce/A), Exceed (1 ounce/A), Spirit (1 ounce/A), dicamba (1/2 to 1 pint/A), Marksman (3.5 pints/A), Buctril+atrazine, Permit + dicamba (2/3 ounce + 1/4 to 1/2 pint/A), Liberty and Liberty ATZ (28 ounces/A and 48 ounces/A- Liberty Link corn), or atrazine plus crop oil concentrate. Beacon, Spirit, and Exceed may be the most effective of the products listed. The use of drop nozzles is suggested to avoid crop injury for applications of dicamba when the corn is more than 8 inches tall. Glyphosate (0.75 lb ae/A - Roundup Ready corn) is effective for control of small burcucumber plants.
Soybeans. Preplant or preemergence application of Canopy XL (5.1 to 7.9 ounces/A), or Scepter (2.8 ounces/A) provides limited suppression of burcucumber. A followup postemergence treatment is usually required for severe infestations.
Classic (2/3 to 3/4 ounce/A) or Synchrony STS (0.5 ounce/A) has generally provided the most effective postemergence control of burcucumber in soybeans. A split application may be more effective than a single application at a higher rate because lateemerging burcucumber are a frequent problem. Glyphosate (Roundup Ready soybeans) will control small burcucumber. Cobra (12.5 ounces/A), Ultra Blazer (2 pints/A), FirstRate (0.3 oz/A), Reflex (1.25 pints/A), or Flexstar (1.3 pints/A) may control burcucumber if applied to actively growing plants with 4 or fewer leaves, but are less effective than the previously mentioned treatments. Adding 2,4DB to the spray mix can improve control. Retreatment may be necessary to control later emergingweeds.
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