Weed Control Using Herbicides and Planting Pattern in Wheat

A field experiment was conducted from June to December during 2010 crop season at HARC to study the effect of planting pattern and herbicides on weed dynamics and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety “HAR 604” in split plot design with three replications.Three row spacing (15, 20, and 25 cm) were assigned to main plots, while the herbicides: clodinafop-propargyl (0.065,0.080, 0.105 kg ha-1) and isoproturon (1.00, 1.25, 1.50 kg ha-1), hand weeding at tillering and weedy check were kept in sub plots. The crop was infested with Avena fatua L. and Phalaris paradoxa L. among grass weeds and Caylusea abyssinica Meisn, C. trigyna L., Chenopodium album L., Corrigoiala capensis Wild, Guizotia scabra (Vis) Chiov, Oxalis latifolia HBK, Polygonum nepalense L., Raphanus raphanistrum L., Spergula arvensis L. and Tagetes minuta L. among broadleaved weeds.The results showed that broadleaved, grass and total weed density and dry weight were significantly influenced by row spacing and weed management practices at crop jointing, earhead emergence and dough stages.The weed density was reduced significantly with the decrease in row spacing.