Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) control in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) with bispyribac-sodium, primisulfuron, and sulfosulfuron

Annual bluegrass is a troublesome weed of Kentucky bluegrass because of a lack of selective POST herbicides for control. Field experiments were conducted in New Jersey to investigate the potential of bispyribac-sodium, primisulfuron, and sulfosulfuron for selective annual bluegrass control in Kentucky bluegrass. Primisulfuron provided the best combination of Kentucky bluegrass safety and annual bluegrass control with greater efficacy in summer than fall. Bispyribac-sodium also provided substantial annual bluegrass control, especially in the summer, but caused unacceptable (> 20%) Kentucky bluegrass injury, whereas annual bluegrass control with sulfosulfuron was inconsistent. Growth chamber experiments confirmed that greater primisulfuron efficacy in summer than fall may be attributed to higher temperatures. Overall, primisulfuron has promising implications for future use in Kentucky bluegrass for annual bluegrass control whereas bispyribac-sodium will likely be more applicable in other cool-season turfgrasses.