Effects of Post-emergence BL Herbicide Application on Weed Management and Productivity of Wheat in Ethiopia

Abstract

Bread wheat is the most important cereal food grain crop in the world. However, its productivity has been limited by various abiotic and biotic factors, including weeds. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of post-emergence BL herbicide application on weed management and wheat productivity. A field experiment was conducted in Teticha and Dara woredas during the main cropping season of 2024/25. Three herbicides- Razumin 720 SL, Segem 72 SL, and Zhora 2,4-D 72% SL- along with a weedy check, were randomized in a complete block design with three replicates. The field recorded 13 identified weed species, comprising 61.5% BL and 34.5% grass, with 69.2% being annual and 30.8% perennial life cycle weeds. The most infested species were Galinsoga parviflora L, Avena fatua L, and Plantago lanceolata L., while Guizotia scabra (Vis.) Chiov exhibited the lowest infestation. The post-emergence herbicide application did not significantly affect plant height, stand count, kernel number per spike, or thousand-kernel weights. The minimum dry biomass weeds (68.1 t ha⁻¹) and the highest weed control efficiency (65.5%) were recorded from the Razumin 720 SL. The highest number of productive tillers (8.0), stand count (459.0m-2), kernel number per spike (45.5), thousand kernel weight (49.0g), grain yield (2.2 t ha⁻¹), and biological yield (5.1 t ha⁻¹), biomass yield (1.8 t ha⁻¹) was recorded from Razumin 720 SL while the lowest values were observed from the weedy check. Therefore, Razumin 720 SL effectively managed weeds and gave maximum yield, which could be recommended for the test environment and similar agroecology. Further investigation for the interval and frequency is needed.