IIntegrated weed control in corn (Zea mays L.) through combinations of seed priming and reduced dosages of various commonly used herbicides

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted during 2017 and 2018 to evaluate the efficacy of herbicides NICOSULFURON and EPTC alone or in combination with seed priming on weed control and corn yield. NICOSULFURON (80 g a.i. ha‒1) was applied at four- to six-leaf stage of corn as post-emergence and EPTC (4920 g a.i. ha‒1) applied as pre-plant incorporation (PPI). Among the herbicide treatments, the lowest total weed biomass was observed in plots treated with prime + EPTC PPI at ½ recommended dose followed by one hand weeding and NICOSULFURON applied at label recommended dose or 33% reduced dose integrated with seed priming, while the least performance was observed in plots treated with EPTC alone. Weed biomass reduction by seed priming alone was 32% (average of two years) compared with control. The highest grain and biological yield were observed in weed free plots and hand hoeing three times, followed by prime + EPTC followed one hand-hoeing and NICOSULFURON at recommended rate and at 33% reduced dose integrated with seed priming. The present study demonstrated that seed priming can improve the weed competitiveness of corn.