POTENTIAL OF WHEAT STRAW EXTRACTS AS A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL HERBICIDES

This experiment was designed to compare the effect of spraying wheat straw aqueous extracts to control broad and narrow leaf weed plants in wheat fields with some common used herbicides in the region. The study consisted of five treatments; wheat straw aqueous extract; grass weeds herbicide clodinafop-propargyl (Topik); broad leaf herbicide tribenuron-methyl (Granstar); zero control (no weed control) and zero or no- weed treatments , chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll were indicated for all treatments after 48 hours from herbicide application. Results illustrated significant differences between all treatments, minimum wheat yield was recorded in zero control plots then plots that was treated with wheat straw aqueous extracts, Broad leaf weed herbicide (Granstar), narrow leaf weeds herbicide (Topic) and maximum yield was recorded with zero weed treatments, results of this study elucidate the potentiality of using wheat aqueous extracts for controlling some weed plants due to its obvious effect on reducing the weed plants height and the levels of chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll in treated wheat plants.