Bio-efficacy of saflufenacil + dimethenamid-p as pre-emergent herbicide to manage weeds in sugarcane

AbstractThe growth and productivity of sugarcane is known to be affected by uncontrolled weed competition at crop establishment stage due to reduced availability of resources. During spring season (February to December) of 2018 and 2019, a field study was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of pre-emergence application (PE) of different doses of ready-mix saflufenacil 68 g/L plus dimethenamid-P 600 g/L (saflufenacil + dimethenamid-P) on weed control and sugarcane productivity. The premix of saflufenacil + dimethenamid-P at 835 g/ha as PE resulted in 85.2-87.6%, 68.8-70.2% and 72.0-72.9% weed control efficiency of grasses, broad-leaved weeds and sedges, respectively at 60 days after application. The saflufenacil + dimethenamid-P at 835 g/ha application resulted in 20.8-20.9% more millable canes and 62.3-65.2% higher cane yield than untreated control demonstrating its efficacy in managing diverse weed flora at early crop establishment stage resulting in statistically similar cane yield to weed free check. However, there is a need of post-emergence herbicide application in sugarcane after pre-emergence herbicide application to achieve adequate weed control and improved productivity of sugarcane in Indian sub-tropics.