Abstract

Research Article

Efficiency of post-emergence herbicide for enhancing yield attributes, yield, and economics of hybrid maize (Zea mays L.)

Noor Mohammad Kakar¹, Sayed Yuonus Amini^.2 and Mohibullah Samim³

¹ANASTU, Kandahar, Afghanistan

²ICAR-IIMR, Pusa Campus, New Delhi

³Division of Agronomy, IARI, Pusa Campus, New Delhi

⁴IASRI, Pusa Campus, New Delhi

Corresponding author e-mail: noormohammad.kakar@yahoo.com

(Received: 25/11/2020; Revised: 10/04/2021; Accepted: 05/06/2021)

ABSTRACT

An experiment was conducted at the research farm of National Agricultural Science and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar, Afghanistan in a randomized complete block (RCBD) during the summer season of 2017 to evaluate the effect of post-emergence herbicides in maize. The experiment consisted of ten treatments and was replicated thrice. Among the weed control treatments, sequential application of atrazine @ 1.5 kg/ha pre-emergence followed by tembotrione 120 g/ha as PoE at 25 DAS recorded significantly higher grain row^-1 (36.18), the number of grain cob^-1 (502.48), and Grain weight cob^-1 (137.63 g). Significantly higher grain and stover yield (6.7 and 11.6 t ha^-1) were recorded in weed-free check plot which is on par with (T₁₀) atrazine @ 1.5 kg/ha pre-emergence fb tembotrione 120 g /ha PoE at 25 DAS (6.5 and 11.4 t ha^-1) and (T₉) pendimethalin (1000 ml/ha) pre-emergence fb atrazine (750 g/ha) + 2,4-D Amine 0.4 kg /ha at 25 DAS as PoE (6.2 and 11.0 t ha^-1). The benefit-cost ratio was higher (1.57) in the sequential application of Atrazine 1.5 kg/ha fb 2,4-D Amine 0.4 kg/ha at 25 DAS as PoE, which was on par with Pendimethalin (1000 ml/ha) pre-emergence fb Atrazine (750 g/ha) + 2,4-D Amine 0.4 kg/ha at 25 DAS as PoE and (T₇) Atrazine @ 1.5 kg/ha pre-emergence fb Halosulfuron67 g/ha 25 DAS.

Keywords: B: C ratio, Economics, Harvest Index, Post-emergence herbicide, weed management, yield.