EVALUATION OF PRE- EMERGENCE HERBICIDES ON THE GROWTH YIELD AND YIELD OF GROUNDNUT (Arachis hypogeae L).

Abstract

ABSTRACT Field experiment was conducted during the 2018 rainy season at the Dryland Teaching and Research Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. Sokoto lies on latitude 130 01’N and longitude 50 15’E and at an altitude of about 350m above sea level. The experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of weed control on the growth yield and yield of groundnut. The trial consisted of eight treatments of six herbicides rates (pendimenthalin at the rates of 1.0kg a.i/ha, 1.5kg a.i/ha and 2.0kg a.i/ha, butachlor at the rates of 1.0kg a.i/ha, 1.5kg a.i/ha and 2.0kg a.i/ha), two-hoe weeding and a weedy-check. The experiments were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The result of the experiment indicated that the effect of weed control on both growth, and yield components were significant, these include: establishment count, days to 50% flowering, canopy height, haulm yield, number of pods per plant, pod yield, weed density. Effect of weed control was not significant on 100 kernel weight. Based on the result obtained, Two hoe weeding and pre-emergence application of pendimenthalin at the rate of 1.0Kg a.i/ha and butachlor at the rate of 2.0Kg a.i /ha followed by supplementary hoe weeding at 6WAS is adequate to control weeds and increase production.