GROWTH AND SPRAY RETENTION OF WILD OAT AND FLAX IN RELATION TO HERBICIDAL SELECTIVITY*

Abstract

Summary. The growth of wild oat ( Avena fatua L.) was accompanied by an increase in the amount of spray retained per plant and per unit weight of plant, probably because the projected area (plan view) increased as the plant became larger. Flax ( Linum usitatissimum L.) retained a fairly constant volume of spray per plant from the 8‐leaf to the 35–40‐leaf stages, so that the spray retained per unit plant weight decreased considerably as the plants grew. This was related to the decrease in projected area as a proportion of the whole. There was also a difference in retentivity between the cotyledons and true leaves; the cotyledons retained ten to twenty times more spray per unit weight. These results suggest that maximum selectivity would be achieved by spraying at an advanced stage of growth. Wild oat at the 3‐leaf stage retained more than half the aqueous spray in the two leaf axils, while flax retained most on the cotyledons. Distribution was shown to be a probable reason for selectivity. Addition of a surfactant greatly increased retention by both species, but although the effect of a spray on wild oat might thereby be increased, under certain conditions injury to flax might be increased and the margin of selectivity reduced. Croissance et retention des bouillies herbicides par la folle‐avoine et le lin en rapport avec la sélectivité