Productivity of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana (L) Geartn) as Influenced by Pre-emergence Herbicides in the Northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria

Abstract

Two field trials were conducted during 2011 and 2012 wet seasons at the Research Farm of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru Zaria (Lat. 11 o 11 1 N, Long. 07 O 38E and 686m above sea level), in the northern Guinea savannah zone of Nigeria, to evaluate the efficacy of pre-emergence herbicides on weed in finger millet. The treatments were atrazine (80WP) at the rates of (0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 kg a.i/ha), RafT ® (500SC ) (Atrazine 250 g/l + Terbuthylazine 250 g/l ) at the rates of (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 kg a.i/ha) and Bullet (R) (700SC) (Atrazine 225 g/l + Terbuthylazine 225 g/l + Acetochlor 250 g/l) at the rates of (0.35, 0.75, 1.05 and 1.4 kg a.i/ha), hoe weeded control at 3 and 6 WAS and a weedy check. The treatments were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), replicated 3 times. The result shows that all the herbicide treatments significantly reduced weed dry weight than the weedy check. Application of atrazine at 0.8 kg a.i/ha or Raft at 0.5 kg a.i/ha gave lower weed dry weight and weed cover score than the hoe weeded control at 3 and 6WAS.While all the rates of Bullet, Raft at 0.75 and 0.1 kg a.i./ha and atrazine at 1.2 and 1.6 kg a.i./ha resulted in lower weed dry matter production which were comparable to hoe weeded control at 3 and 6WAS. Based on the results obtained from this study, 0.8 kg a.i./ha atrazine or 0.5 kg a.i./ha Raft gave season long weed control over hoe weeded check in finger millet with yield increase of 94.2 and 99.5%, respectively. The weedy checks reduced yield of finger millet by 66.7%.