Determination of the Weed Flora and the Efficacy of Some Herbicides on Weeds and Yield in Maize Fields of Iğdır Province, Türkiye

Authors : Çağlar Açikgöz, Ramazan Gürbüz, Irfan Çoruh

Pages : 26-37

View : 75 | Download : 64

Publication Date : 2023-07-10

Article Type : Research Article

Abstract :Maize is a very important food crop worldwide. Weed surveys and effective weed management practices are crucial for maintaining high crop yields and quality. The aim of the study was to assess the distribution and relative abundance of weed species in maizeproduction areas of Igdir Province and evaluate the effectiveness of different herbicides in controlling weeds and improving maize yield. The experiment employed a Completely Randomized Block Design, consisting of 7 treatments with 4 replications. The treatments included 330 g/l pendimethalin, 225 g/l isoxaflutole + 90 g/l thiencarbazone methyl + 150 g/l cyprosulfamide, %25 tritosulfuron + %50 dicamba, 452.42 g/l 2,4-D EHE + 6.25 g florasulam, 40 g/l nicosulfuron, and two check treatments, namely weed-free and weedy check. In total, 50 survey sites were visited during the months of June and July in Iğdir Center (34) and its districts Karakoyunlu (13), Aralık (2), and Tuzluca (1), based on the maize production areas in 2017. The surveys revealed the presence of 25 weed species belonging to 11 families in the maize fields. Therefore, the conducted survey of the maize fields in Igdir Province identified 25 weed species belonging to 11 different families. The top three largest families found in the maize fields were Poaceae (8 species), Fabaceae (4 species), and Asteraceae (3 species). Among the weed species identified, 13 of them were found to have a frequency of more than 10 percent. The top 5 species determined in terms of frequency were Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. (94%), Portulaca oleracea L. (68%), Xanthium strumarium L. (62%), Amaranthus retroflexus L. (38%), Convolvulus arvensis L. (28%). The evaluation of maize yield and its components, such as the number of rows of cobs, the length and diameter of the cob, the height of the plant, and the thousand grain weight, showed a significant increase in all treatments compared to the weedy check. The percentage increase in these yield component results showed a 98% increase in the yield, a 31.3% increase in the number of rows of cobs, a 38.5% increase in the length of the cob, a 19.8% increase in the diameter of the cob, a 66.2% increase in the height of the plant, and a 64,8% increase in the thousand grain weight. The increase in the thousand grain weight suggests that the herbicides may have also helped to improve the overall quality of the maize crop. The results of this study provide valuable information for developing effective weed management strategies that can help to improve maize yield and quality in the region.
Keywords : Zea mays, herbicide, weeds, survey, frequency