Efficiency of post-emergence herbicides for enhancing growth and yield of hybrid maize (Zea mays) in Kandahar, Afghanistan

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A field experiment was conducted at research farm of the Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar, Afghanistan, in randomized complete- block (RCBD) design during summer 2017, to evaluate the effect of post-emergence (PoE) herbicides in maize (Zea mays L.). Results revealed that sequential application of atrazine @ 1,500 g/ha as pre-emergence followed by (fb) tembotrione @ 120 g/ha as post emergence (PoE) 25 days after sowing (DAS) recorded significantly higher plant height and leaf-area index at 60 and 90 days after sowing (DAS), while dry-matter accumulation and the yield attributes as grains/row, grain/cob and grain weight/cob at harvesting stages. Weed infestation in hybrid maize caused 35.8% yield loss compared to weed-free control. Application of the weed-management treatments increased the maize yield by 35.2% (11.6 – 51.2) over unweeded check. Significantly higher grain yield (6.50 t/ha) was recorded with sequential application of atrazine (1,500 g/ha) as pre-emergence followed by tembotrione (120 g/ha) at 25 DAS, which was at par with pendimethalin (1,000 ml/ha) as pre-emergence followed by atrazine (750 g/ha) + 2,4-D amine (400 g/ha) at 25 DAS as PoE (6.21.3 t/ha) and atrazine (1,500 g/ha) as pre-emergence fb 2,4-D amine (400 g/ha) at 25 DAS (6.12 t/ha). Therefore, the sequential application of pre-and post-emergence herbicides could be opted for enhancing growth and yield and weed control of hybrid maize in Afghanistan and similar ecologies.