Articles
WEED CONTROL FOR TRANSPLANTED TOMATO
Weed infestations for more than 28 DAT significantly reduced yields due to fewer fruits and smaller fruit size.
Herbicide screening experiments were conducted during 1980–81 to identify the best chemical for transplanted tomato.
The first trial consisted of 24 treatments involving 8 herbicides.
Metribuzin, oxyfluorfen, diphenamid and EL-5219 effectively suppressed broadleaf weeds.
Metribuzin at 0.5 kg/ha, oxyfluorfen at 1.0 kg/ha, diphenamid at 6 kg/ha and alachlor at 2 kg/ha provided promising results and increased yields by 89, 95, 51 and 33 percent, respectively, over the untreated check.
In the second experiment, alachlor, metribuzin and oxyfluorfen were studied in more detail.
Tomato plant growth was significantly suppressed by the herbicides.
Phytotoxicity was severe with oxyfluorfen, moderate with alachlor and absent with metribuzin.
The degree of severity increased with higher application rates, significantly reducing tomato yields.
Yield from the oxyfluorfen treatment was the lowest as the result of severe phytotoxicity at the early growth stage.
Yield from the alachlor treatment was significantly less than that of the weed-free treatment.
Yield from the metribuzin treatment was as high as the weed-free treatment.
Only metribuzin and oxyfluorfen were used in the third trial.
Yields from the metribuzin treatments were the highest whereas those of oxyfluorfen were not different from the weedy check.