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INTEGRATING CULTIVARS WITH REDUCED HERBICIDE RATES FOR WEED MANAGEMENT IN MAIZE

GUL HASSAN¹, SANA TANVEER¹, NAQIB ULLAH KHAN² AND MOHAMMAD MUNIR³

Abstract: A field experiment to study the impact of integrating cultivars with reduced herbicide rates for the weed management in maize (Zea mays L) was conducted at NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar. Crop was sown during mid of June, 2007 in a randomized complete block (RCB) design with three replications with split plot arrangement. Two local maize cultivars (Azam and Pahari) were used as main plots. The three herbicides as full recommended doses (1x) and their half doses (½x) used as sub-plots viz; pendimethalin (Stomp 330E) @ 1.32 and 0.66 kg a.i. ha^-1; s-metolachlor (Dual gold 960 EC) @ 1.44 and 0.72 kg a.i ha^-1 and atrazine (Atrazine 38 SC) @ 1.57 and 0.78 kg a.i ha^-1 and a weedy check. Each sub-plot measured 5.6 x 3 m². Data were recorded on weed density (after 30 days of herbicides application), fresh weed biomass, plant height, leaf area, 1000-kernel weight, kernel yield and phytotoxicity of herbicides on crop if any. For the main effects of cultivars, all the parameters were non-significant. For herbicides, significant differences were recorded in all parameters, while the interaction also manifested non-significant differences for all the traits except 1000 kernel weight. Cultivar Azam alongwith s-metolachlor with full dose (1x) followed by half dose (½x) and their interaction offered the best weed management in maize. It is thus recommended that half of the recommended dose of s-metolachlor integrated with cv. Azam may be used to harvest economic yield of maize while keeping the environment intact.

¹Department of Weed Science, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar 25130, Pakistan

²Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar 25130, Pakistan

³Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan