Effect of Pre and Post-emergence Herbicides on Weed Flora of Maize

Abstract

Weeds have been a problem creator in crops since time immemorial competing with them for all the growth resources. Weeds cause around 28-100% loss in the maize crop which necessitates their control. The usage of herbicides for the control of weeds has been the most prominent method among farmers. However, the continuous usage of similar herbicides can develop herbicide resistance which needs the exploration to newer herbicides. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out to assess the effect of broad-spectrum herbicide, mesotrione on the weed flora and seed yield of maize at JNKVV, Jabalpur (M.P.) in the kharif season of 2019. The experiment was carried out in randomised block design consisting of eight treatments of weed control including six herbicidal treatments with hand weeding and weedy check and replicated thrice. Based on the results, it was concluded that the post emergence application of mesotrione 350 g ha-1 at 30 DAS had most effectively controlled the weeds resulting in highest weed control efficiency (69.25%) and lowest weed index (12.62%) than the rest of the treatments. It also resulted in highest grain and stover yield (2.44 and 21.80 t ha-1) in maize. Thus, the application of mesotrione @ 350 g ha-1 can be a promising technology for the control of complex weed flora in maize.