Kikuyugrass Control with Quinclorac

March 16, 2005

Summary: In a replicated field trial on a kikuyugrass rough at Mesa Verde Country Club (Costa Mesa, CA), the efficacy of various mixtures and application frequencies of quinclorac (Drive) for control of kikuyugrass control was evaluated. Key results include:

Two to three monthly applications of quinclorac (0.37 oz/1000 sq ft or 0.25 oz/1000 sq ft, respectively) provided good to excellent control of kikuyugrass, but one application (0.37 oz/1000 sq ft) did not provide acceptable levels of control.
When two or three monthly applications of quinclorac were made, control occurred gradually, with only a minimal effect observed in the first 5 weeks after application; by 9 weeks after application, however, significant levels of control were achieved. This type of gradual control may be especially beneficial in situations where kikuyugrass infestations are heavy, because it allows the maintenance of green turf (assuming the area can be re-seeded or re-colonized by a desirable turf species) as the kikuyugrass slowly dies.
The use of MSMA (monosodium acid methanearsonate) also produced good to excellent control of kikuyugrass. This product is the current commercial standard for kikuyugrass control. However, due to the rapid burn down observed with this product, its use may be undesirable, especially if there are heavy infestations of kikuyugrass present.
The addition of MSMA to quinclorac increased the level of kikuyugrass control, as well as the speed of kill of the kikuyugrass. This was most apparent when a single application of quinclorac (which resulted in only minimal kikuyugrass control) is compared to a single application of MSMA plus quinclorac (which resulted in over 90% control on all rating dates).
With one or two monthly applications, neither MSMA nor Drive caused damage to common bermudagrass. However, when three monthly applications of Drive (either alone or in combination with MSMA) were made, common bermudagrass exhibited reddish colored foliage - an effect that was not observed for other treatments.

Printable version of full report

Principal Investigators: Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. and Larry J. Stowell, Ph.D., CPPP, CPAg

Cooperator: Reed Yenny, Mesa Verde Country Club

Sponsor: Lou Russo, BASF