Abstract:
This research project was undertaken at Shambat Research
Station, Agricultural Research Corporation, (ARC) during the
winter season “2003 – 2004” to assess the effect of the chemical
herbicide Pursuit, Urea (NH N2O3), Neem powder and combination
of Neem powder and Urea in controlling parasitic flowering plant
Orobanche ramosa in Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum crop.
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It seems that the total treatments have little effect on number
of halouk and the number of branches. This means that our
treatments; Neem seed powder, urea, urea and Neem seed powder
and finally the herbicide Pursuit, didn’t perform as expected; except
for the herbicide Pursuit.
Although the difference between the number of plants and the
number of branches for the urea treatments were not significant, this
can also be explained by the use of urea fertilization for all the
experiment which nullified variation and the effect of urea. The
results showed that the herbicide treatment resulted in less number
of halouk plants and less number of branches but it seems that it has
adverse effect on the tomato plant which resulted in fewer yields of
fruits. This effect of the herbicide could be due to overdose toxicity
to tomato plants but not on halouk, also neem seed powder retarded
the production of the exudates from host plants that stimulate
Orobanchae to germinate.
The results showed that the yield of the fruits in the second
pick for the control treatment was the highest compared to the
treatments, similarly on advance effect of overdose toxicity to
tomato plants treated. On the other hand, the yield of control
treatment in the first pick was the second low. These results suggest
that the advance effect of halouk on the tomato plants were higher at
the early stage of the growing of the tomato plant. Again this has
already been suggested at the early application of this treatment
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second pick
These results suggest that further detailed research on the
effect of halouk on tomato plant is needed with special emphasis on
parasite effect at the early stages of growth, plus appropriate dose of
treatment, appropriate stage of application, and canceling urea
.treatment
