Evaluating the Efficacy of Different Herbicides Combinations on Wheat Yield and Weed Density
Evaluating the Efficacy of Different Herbicides Combinations on Wheat Yield and Weed Density
Muhammad Shahbaz1, Muhammad Bilal Chattha2*, Hasnat Babar2, Shahbaz Ahmad3, Humaira Kalsoom4, Tayyaba Manzoor5, Abdul Rauf4, Ahmad Nawaz4, Muhammad Tariq Chaudhry6 and Ishtiaq Hassan7
ABSTRACT
Wheat is considered one of the basic food and economic crops in Pakistan. Wheat productivity is immensely affected by weed infestation, which causes a yield reduction of 20-40%. Keeping this under consideration, the present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of some commonly used herbicides against broadleaf and narrow leaf weeds in wheat fields, with particular focus regarding their impact on wheat yield and economic viability. This research was conducted at the Adaptive Research Farm, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, during the 2023-2024 cropping season. Seven treatments with control of weedy check were compared for their efficacy against weeds under study in a randomized complete block design. In this context, 6 different herbicide combinations were checked. Data were recorded for weed density before and after herbicide application, percentage germination, number of productive tillers, number of grains per spike, thousand grain weight, and overall grain yield for the key parameters. The ANOVA results indicated significant differences among treatments concerning the number of productive tillers, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield. In this regard, application of the Pyroxsulum was found to be the most effective since it significantly reduced weed density and showed weed control efficiency up to 73.77% and 83.50% for narrow and broad leaf weeds, respectively. It also demonstrated a maximum grain yield (5493.3 kg ha-1), which was significantly higher compared to the control (T7), that recorded a minimum yield (4223.3 kg ha-1). Given the findings of this study, Pyroxsulum can be used as a highly effective herbicide for improving wheat productivity and economic returns.
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