Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Kampasagar, Andhra Pradesh during rabi 2008-09 to evaluate different herbicides in zero tillage maize after kharif rice. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with nine treatments (atrazine as pre emergence @ 1.25 kg a.i.ha -1 , atrazine as post emergence @ 1kg a.i.ha -1 , atrazine as pre emergence @ 1.25 kg a.i.ha -1 + paraquat as pre emergence @ 0.75 kg a.i.ha -1 , atrazine as pre emergence @ 1.25 kg a.i.ha -1 + glyphosate as pre emergence @ 0.5 kg a.i.ha -1 , metribuzine as pre emergence @ 0.3 kg a.i.ha -1 , metribuzine as post emergence @ 0.1 kg a.i.ha -1 , oxy flourofen as pre emergence @ 0.1 kg a.i.ha-1 , un weeded check and weed free check). Weed density and weed dry matter were significantly lower in application of atrazine as pre emergence @ 1.25 kg a.i.ha -1 + paraquat as pre emergence @ 0.75 kg a.i.ha-1 . Application of atrazine as pre emergence @ 1.25 kg a.i.ha -1 + paraquat as pre emergence @ 0.75 kg a.i.ha -1 registered significantly higher yield attributes and grain yield than other herbicides. It was on par with atrazine as pre emergence @ 1.25 kg a.i.ha -1 and atrazine as pre emergence @ 1.25 kg a.i.ha-1 + glyphosate as pre emergence @ 0.5 kg a.i.ha -1

Keywords: Atrazine, paraquat, pre emergence, weed free, zero tillage maize