Yield and Yield Components 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 the 2011 and 2012 wet seasons at the research farm of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, 2012 Zaria (Lat. 11o 111N, Long. 07O38E and 686m above sea level) in the northern Guinea savannah zone of Nigeria, to evaluate pre emergence herbicides for weed control in finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L) Geartn). The trial consisted of 14 treatments. Atrazine (80WP) at 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 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 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. In both years, all herbicide treatments and hoe weeded control at 3 and 6 WAS significantly increased yield components and yield, consistently across the two years, weedy check gave lower yield characters and yield. Based on the results obtained from this study, 0.8 kg a.i/ha of atrazine or 0.5 kg a.i/ha of Raft gave season long weed control over hoe weeded check in finger millet which resulted into higher grain yield.