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Determination of the Critical Period for Weed Control in Corn

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Geoffroy Gantoli ,
Victor Rueda Ayala  and
Roland Gerhards
Geoffroy Gantoli
Affiliation:
Department of Weed Science, University of Hohenheim, Otto-Sander-Str. 5, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Victor Rueda Ayala
Affiliation:
Department of Weed Science, University of Hohenheim, Otto-Sander-Str. 5, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Roland Gerhards*
Affiliation:
Department of Weed Science, University of Hohenheim, Otto-Sander-Str. 5, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Field experiments were conducted in western Atakora, Benin, to determine the critical time period of weed competition in hand-weeded corn. Weeds were removed until different crop growth stages and then allowed to reemerge. Other treatments began weed control at different growth stages (four-, eight-, and ten-leaf stages and flowering) and were maintained until harvest. One treatment was permanently kept weed-free and one treatment was uncontrolled until harvest. Yields without weed competition ranged from 2.8 to 3.4 t ha−1. As expected, yield loss increased with duration of weed infestation and ranged from 38 to 65% compared to permanent weed-free plots. In three out of four site-years, the critical period for weed control started at the four- to six-leaf stage and continued until ten-leaf stage or flowering of corn. Approximately four hand-weeding applications were required in this critical period of weed control.

Se realizaron experimentos de campo en el oeste de Atakora, Benin, para determinar el período crítico de competencia de malezas en maíz manejado con deshierba manual. Las malezas fueron removidas durante diferentes estados de desarrollo del cultivo y luego se les dejó re-emerger. Otros tratamientos iniciaron el control de malezas en diferentes estados de desarrollo (cuatro, ocho y diez hojas y floración) y luego se mantuvieron libres de malezas hasta la cosecha. Un tratamiento fue mantenido libre de malezas permanentemente y otro tratamiento no tuvo control de malezas hasta la cosecha. Los rendimientos sin competencia de malezas fueron de 2.8 a 3.4 t ha−1. Como se esperaba, la pérdida de rendimiento incrementó con la duración de la infestación de malezas y varió entre 38 y 65% al compararse con las parcelas libres de malezas. En tres de los cuatro sitios-años, el período crítico para el control de malezas inició entre los estados de cuatro a seis hojas y continuó hasta el estado de 10 hojas o de floración del cultivo. Aproximadamente, cuatro deshierbas manuales fueron requeridas en este período crítico de control de malezas.

Keywords

CornZea mays L.Benincritical period for weed controlcrop-weed interactionyield loss
Type
Weed Management—Major Crops
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , March 2013 , pp. 63 - 71
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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