REGULAR ARTICLE
Alternatives to terbuthylazine for chemical weed control in maize
Euro Pannacci, Andrea Onofri
Commun. Biometry Crop Sci. (2016) 11 (1), 51-63.
ABSTRACT
Three field experiments were carried out on maize from 2012 to 2014 to assess weed control efficacy of herbicides’ treatments with and without terbuthylazine applied in different mixtures and with different application timings. Considering pre-emergence herbicides, acetochlor and S-metolachlor alone seem not to be advisable due to their low efficacy against broadleaved weeds. Herbicide mixtures based on terbuthylazine gave the highest weed control, although thiencarbazone-methyl + isoxaflutole or s-metolachlor + mesotrione represent two valid alternatives to terbuthylazine. Post-emergence herbicides gave a good control of weeds, although mesotrione + nicosulfuron or tembotrione showed a higher efficacy than foramsulfuron. Crop yield losses in the untreated check compared to the highest yield obtained with herbicides treatments, ranging from 33% to 91%.
Key Words: terbuthylazine; maize; weed control; herbicide mixtures; weeds/crops competition.
