Biological Control of Hemp Sesbania (<i>Sesbania exaltata</i>) Under Field Conditions with<i>Colletotrichum truncatum</i>Formulated in an Invert Emulsion

Abstract

In greenhouse experiments, conidia of Colletotrichum truncatum applied in an invert emulsion formulation controlled hemp sesbania 100% in the absence of a dew treatment. In field experiments, hemp sesbania control averaged 95 and 97% in 1989 and 1990, respectively, when this formulation was applied to hemp sesbania seedlings using tractor-mounted, air-assist nozzles. This level of weed control was comparable to that achieved from the herbicide acifluorfen. These results indicate that C. truncatum has excellent potential as a mycoherbicide for controlling hemp sesbania and that this potential can be augmented by formulating the pathogen as an invert emulsion.