Field trials were conducted in the spring of 2004 and the spring and summer of 2005 to evaluate cantaloupe tolerance to rimsulfuron and halosulfuron applied to cantaloupe at the two-leaf stage, five- to six-leaf stage, plants having 30- to 40-cm vines, and plants having up to 5-cm-diam melons. Additionally, control of eight weed species was evaluated in these trials in 2005. Cantaloupe plant injury from rimsulfuron differed among application timings and trials, but applications were generally more injurious when applied at the two early crop stages. Halosulfuron was less injurious to cantaloupe, but 31 and 14% injury occurred following the two-leaf and five- to six-leaf applications, respectively, in the second trial in 2005. In the first trial of 2005, number of marketable melons the first week of harvest was lower for all halosulfuron applications compared with the nontreated control (30 to 37% reduction). In the second trial of 2005, total number of marketable melons was comparable to the nontreated control for each of the halosulfuron treatments, except the five- to six-leaf and up to 5-cm-diam melon applications. Injury estimates were poor indicators of occurrence or absence of delays in crop earliness or number of marketable melons. Rimsulfuron was generally effective (≥ 80% control) in controlling seedling Texas panicum, large crabgrass, tall morningglory, pitted morningglory, and Palmer amaranth, but was ineffective against yellow and purple nutsedge and goosegrass. Halosulfuron was effective in controlling yellow and purple nutsedge, but was ineffective against Texas panicum, large crabgrass, goosegrass, pitted morningglory, tall morningglory, and Palmer amaranth.

Nomenclature: Halosulfuron, rimsulfuron, goosegrass, Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. ELEIN, large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. DIGSA, Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats. AMAPA, pitted morningglory, Ipomoea lacunosa L. IPOLA, purple nutsedge, Cyperus rotundus L. CYPRO, tall morningglory, Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth PHBPU, Texas panicum, Panicum texanum Buckl. PANTE, yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus L. # CYPES, cantaloupe, Cucumis melo L. Reticulatus group ‘Athena’