EFFECTS OF PERIOD OF WEED INTERFERENCE AND CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL ON POT^TO (Solanum tuberosum L.)
EFFECTS OF PERIOD OF WEED INTERFERENCE AND CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL ON POT^TO (Solanum tuberosum L.)
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Date
1986-11
Authors
BULUS, Timothy Ambashak
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Abstract
Two field experiments were conducted during the
1985 wet season at Samaru in the northern Guinea
savanna ecological zone of Nigeria to study the effect
of period of weed interference one evaluate herbicide
mixtures for weed control in Irish potato (Solanum
tuberosum L.).
The potato varieties B7906-I and Greta were most
critically affected by weed interference between 3 and
6 weeks after planting (/AT) and. 6 and 9 weeks after
planting (WAP), respectively. Weed infestation for
the first 3 weeks after planting did not have any
adverse effect on the two potato varieties. However,
once infested by weeds until 9 W.AI , subsequent weed
removal did not obviate the loss in yield, caused by
weed competition with the variety Greta. Keeping
B.7906-I and Greta weed-free until 6 and 9 WAP,
respectively resulted in yields comparable to the
appropriate weed-free controls. It was required to
keep variety Greta weed-free throughout its life-cycle
and B7906-I weed-free until 50 days after planting in
order to obtain maximum tuber yields. As reflected in
yields of the crop kept weed-free initially for various
periods and those infested for 3 WAP only, it was
apparent that with adequate weed central, Greta had
higher tuber yield potential than B7906-I.
Among the herbicide mixtures tested on Greta,
metolachlor plus metribuzin at 1.00 + 0.25 kg a.i./ha,
mixtures of metolachlor with metabromuron and
prometryne each at 1.00 + 1.00 and 1.30 + 1.50 kg
a.i./ha and ametryne at 1.50 + 1.00 kg a.i./ha combined
season-long weed control with high tuber yields,
soluble carbohydrate and crude protein that were
comparable to those of two and three hoe-weedings.
In the study, weed association with the crop
throughout its life-cycle adversely depressed crop
vigour, leaf area, leaf area index, tuber soluble
carbohydrate end crude protein contents and caused crop
yield reduction by about 71.O% And 63.8%, in weed
interference and chemical weed control experiments,
respectively compared with the appropriate best
treatments.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Post-graduate School,
Ahmadu Bello University , in partial fulfilment
of the requirement for the degree of Master of
Science in agronomy
DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY
ZARIA NIGERIA
NOVEMBER, 1986
(Copyright reserved)
Keywords
CHEMICAL WEED,, WEED INTERFERENCE,, (Solanum tuberosum L.)