Balloonvine Biology and Control in Soybeans - Auburn University ...

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION also effective, but it is a slow and costly process. Because balloonvine cannot be readily removed from soybean seed, it has been designated as a noxious weed in Alabama and other Southern States. Classification, Description, and Distribution Balloonvine is reported to have originated in Mexico or Central America and is considered an ornamental escape. As early as 1820, it was reported to have been abundant in central Oklahoma (2). A member of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), it grows as a summer annual in the Southern United States, mainly in areas of intensive soybean production (5,6). It has also been found along fence rows, around old home sites, and in areas subject to frequent flooding. In Alabama, infestations of balloonvine have been observed along the Alabama, Cahaba, and Tennessee rivers. Occasional infestations have been found in pastures in north-central counties. No infestations have been found in the Wiregrass area. Balloonvine is a diminutive, shrubby, many-branched plant. Unlike many other vines, axillary tendrils provide support for this climbing plant. Stems are from 3 to 6 feet in length. The trifoliolate leaves are biternately divided into lanceolate segments, coarsely lobed, and weakly pubescent. White flowers, appearing in the early summer, are irregular with four sepals and four petals. There are eight anthers and three filiform stigmas. The inflorescences are arranged as cymes of three to five flowers. The resulting green capsular fruit is inflated, pubescent, and obovoid, containing one seed for each of its three locules (7). The seed of balloonvine are spherical and approximately 3.6 millimeters in diameter. Seed size varies and appears to be dependent upon growing conditions. Balloonvine seed number 4,500 to 5,500 per pound, which makes it similar in size to soybean seed (2,700 to 3,700 per pound). The balloonvine seed testa is black with a white heart-shaped area around the hilum (7). Because of the shape and coloration of the seed, the plant is sometimes referred to as the "8-ball weed" (1), figures 1-8. Germination and Seed Longevity Intact, mature balloonvine seed germinate poorly. This has been attributed to a hard and thick seedcoat. In an earlier work, Heit (4) showed that germination was only 30 percent
BALLOONVINE-BIOLOGY AND CONTROL 7 after 4 weeks. Some seed required 4 to 6 years to germinate. For these reasons, once balloonvine is introduced into an area, its survival is virtually assured. Heit also found that consistent and rapid germination of balloonvine seed was obtained by scarification in concentrated sulfuric acid for 30 minutes. Chemical Control Until now, little information has been generated on the growth and development of balloonvine, let alone the control practices needed in soybeans. In 1976, Oliver et al. (unpublished data, University of Arkansas) found that preemergence treatments of metribuzin, early postemergence over-the-top applications of bentazon, and postemergence directed treatments of RH-2915, linuron +2, 4-DB, or metribuzin +2,4-DB all provided excellent (95 percent) balloonvine control in soybeans. Street et al. (8) also found that paraquat or 2,4-DB applied postemergence provided 70 percent balloonvine control. MATERIALS AND METHODS This bulletin summarizes the results of a series of balloonvine biology and control experiments conducted over 4 years (1977-80) at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University. Experiments were conducted at the Main Station, the E. V. Smith Research Center, and the Black Belt Substation, located at Auburn, Shorter, and Marion Junction, respectively. The purposes of these experiments were: to identify germination, growth, and reproductive characteristics of balloonvine, determine competitive effects with soybeans, and evaluate methods of control in soybeans. Germination Tests Response of balloonvine to moisture stress, temperature, scarification, and oxygen concentration was determined in several laboratory experiments. Experiments were conducted in dark, thermostatically-controlled incubators, unless indicated otherwise. The seed were placed in 3-inch diameter petri dishes on two sheets of germination matting paper. Seed were recorded as germinated when the radicle had reached a length of 2 millimeters. A completely randomized design was used and all experiments were repeated.
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