Studies on integrated weed management in sorghum

Abstract

Field trials were conducted for two seasons with the objective of testing the comparative efficacy of herbicides applied singly or in combination, and the integration of chemical and manual methods of controlling weeds in grain sorghum. All the treatments reduced the density and dry weights of dominant weeds, and increased the grain yields compared to weedy control plots. Treatments having metolachlor at 1.0–1.25 kg ha⁻¹, a combination of atrazine + metolachlor, sequential application of metolachlor and bentazon, atrazine at 0.75 and metolachlor at 1.0 kg ha⁻¹ as pre‐emergence followed by one manual weeding around 30 days after sowing were superior to the rest. The grain yield from the above herbicide‐treated plots did not differ significantly from the yields of plots which were repeatedly hand‐weeded. However, atrazine alone at all rates or in combination with other herbicides significantly reduced the sorghum height and stover yields.

Keywords:

• Herbicide
• herbicide combination
• weed control
• sorghum