The importance of spray retention to the biocontrol of green foxtail with Pyricularia setariae was characterized using airbrush and broadcast sprayers at variable application volumes. Spray retention was determined by measuring amounts of a tracer dye solution on treated plants using fluorescence spectrophotometry. Depending on the droplet size, broadcast spraying at 1,000 to 2,000 L/ha produced a level of retention equivalent to that of airbrush spraying until runoff. The trend of P. setariae spore retention on green foxtail was similar to that of liquid retention. Broadcasting P. setariae at volumes producing equivalent spray retention to that of airbrush inoculation resulted in a similar level of weed control under greenhouse conditions. Reducing broadcast volume from 2,000 to 250 L/ha lowered biocontrol efficacy only slightly, when the concentration of P. setariae was increased proportionally to keep the applied fungal dose the same. A nozzle with a fine droplet spectrum (volume median diameter [VMD] 207 μm) had a significantly greater retention efficiency than a coarse spray (VMD 325 μm), but this retention difference was not translated into consistent enhancement of biocontrol efficacy. Higher retention increases may be necessary for more substantial improvement in biocontrol of green foxtail by P. setariae.
Nomenclature: Green foxtail, Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. #3 SETVI; Pyricularia setariae Nisikado [synonym Pyricularia grisea (Cooke) Sacc.].
Additional index words: Application volume, biocontrol, droplet size, mycoherbicide.
Abbreviations: AAFC, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; AAV, actual application volume; VMD, volume median diameter.
