Optimizing herbicide types and concentrations: Crucial elements for achieving intensive cultivation of common buckwheat

Abstract

An appropriate herbicide type and concentration is essential for effective weed management and enhancing crop yield. However, the optimal herbicide type and corresponding application concentration for controlling weeds in common buckwheat on the Loess Plateau region of Northwestern China remain unclear. To address this gap, experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of various herbicides on weed control, dry matter accumulation, and grain yield in common buckwheat, and to analyze the variances in weed control efficacy and grain yields of the optimal herbicides at different concentrations. The results showed that both metolachlor and quizalofop-P-ethyl demonstrated effective weed control with lower phytotoxicity. Dry matter accumulation was lower under metolachlor, with no significant differences observed among the post-emergence herbicide treatments. Importantly, metolachlor and quizalofop-P-ethyl promoted the allocation of dry matter to grains. Remarkably, metolachlor and quizalofop-P-ethyl increased the grain yield by 15.59% and 26.97%, respectively, compared to spraying an equivalent amount of water. Additionally, the m2.25, q0.9, and q1.2 treatments exhibited excellent weed control effectiveness. And the higher grainnumber per plant observed under m2.25, q0.9, and q1.2 contributed to the increase in grain yield. Consequently, m2.25, q0.9 and q1.2 increased the grain yield by 34.42%, 38.86% and 33.16%, respectively. These findings demonstrate that applying metolachlor and quizalofop-P-ethyl at 2.25 L ha−1 and 0.9 or 1.2 L ha−1 respectively, is beneficial for efficient weed management and yield enhancement in common buckwheat cultivation on the Loess Plateau region of Northwestern China. These studies provide important guidance for promoting common buckwheat cultivation in this region.