Abstract:
A two season field experiments were conducted in the College of
Agricultural Studies, demonstration farm at Shambat in the winter
seasons of 2001/02 and 2002/03. The objectives of this experiment were
to evaluate the efficacy and phytotoxicity of some herbicides on the
degree of nodulation, grain yield, and primary morphological yield
components of faba bean Vicia faba. The herbicide treatments used were
Modown Atrazine mixture at 1.0 and 1.5 litre per feddan, Ronstar at 1.0
and 1.5 litre per feddan, and Ronstar Diuron mixture at 1.0 and 1.5 litre
per feddan. A completely randomized block design with four replicates
was used for this purpose. All herbicides were applied pre-emergence.
The herbicide treatments were compared with unweeded control to
evaluate the efficacy, and with hand-weeded control to evaluate the
phytotoxicity. The herbicide treatments at the rate of 1.0 litre per faddan
proved to be effective in cutting down weed competition, and hence
increasing the grain yield of faba bean. The increase in the grain yield
was mainly due to increase in number of pods per plant. The herbicide
used did not affect the degree of nodulation however, increasing the rate
up to 1.5 litre per feddan resulted in slight phytotoxic symptoms.
