EFFECT OF DIFFERENT HERBICIDES AND PLANT EXTRACTS ON YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.)

Abstract

Studies different herbicides and plant extracts for controlling weeds in wheat crop were conducted at Malakander Research Farm, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar, during Rabi season 2008. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design having four replications. The experiment was comprised of two herbicides and two weeds extracts each with different doses and a weedy check. The treatments were Affinity (carfentrazone ethyl ester) 50 WDG (Full dose) @ 1.6 kg ha-1, Affinity (carfentrazone ethyl ester) 50 WDG (Half dose) @ 0.8 kg ha-1, Puma super (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl) 75 EW (Full dose) @ 1.2 L ha-1, Puma super (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl) 75 EW (Half dose) @ 0.6 L ha-1, Sorghum helepense (Full dose) @ 125g L-1 , Sorghum helepense (Half dose) @ 62.5 g L-1, Partheinum hysterophorus (Full dose) @ 125 g L-1, Partheinum hysterophorus (Half dose) @ 62.5 g L-1. The data were recorded on weed density m-2 before and after herbicides application, number of spikes m-2, 1000 grain weight (g), grain yield (tons ha-1 and harvest index (%). All the parameters were significantly affected by different treatments. For controlling weeds, Affinity 50 WDG (Full dose) proved to be the best treatment giving only 12.50 as compared to 193.96 weeds m-2 in weedy check plots followed by plots receiving Puma super 75 EW (Full dose). Similarly maximum grain yield (4.585 tons ha-1) was recorded in Affinity 50 WDG (Full dose) followed by Puma super 75 EW (Full dose) with grain yield of 4.413 tons ha-1. The minimum yield 2.54 tons ha-1 was observed in Partheinum hysterophorus (Half dose) plots. Affinity 50 WDG had significant effect on increasing number of spikes m-2, 1000 grains weight (g) and also out yielded all other treatments included in the studies.