Effect of different herbicides on weeds, growth and yield of spring planted maize (Zea mays L.).

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at, Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan during spring 2008 to study the effect of new pre-emergence herbicide Penthalin plus-35EC (Pendimethalin 20 % + prometryn 15 %) on weeds, growth and yield of spring planted maize (Zea mays L.). The experiment comprised eight treatments: weedy check, Penthalin plus-35EC @ 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, and 4000 ml ha (Pendimethalin + prometryn @ 700, 875, 1050, 1225 and 1400 g a.i ha), Stomp-35EC @ 3000 ml ha (Pendimethalin @ 1050 g a.i ha) and manual hoeing. Main weeds were Cyperus rotundus, Tribulus terrestris, Dactyloctenium aegyptium and Cyndon dactylon. The results showed that the most effective treatment in controlling weed, reducing the dry matter of weed and increasing maize grain yield were manual hoeing, stomp 35-EC (Pendimethalin @ 1050 g a.i. ha) and Penthalin plus-35EC (Pendimethalin + Prometryn @ 1225 g a.i. ha), producing grain yield of 8.05, 7.92 and 7.671 t ha, respectively as compared to 4.561 t ha for untreated control plot. The study concludes that manual hoeing and stomp 35-EC can be more effective as compare to all other treatments with out compromising on maize grain yield loss due to weeds