Integrated Weed Managements Effect on Yield Components, Yield of Common Beans (Phasoulus vulgaries L.) and Weed Suppression in Southern Ethiopia

Among the major crops cultivated common bean (Phasoulus vulgaries L.) is a crucial and widely used for home consumption. It is highly preferred by because of its early maturity, and providing producers with food security. However, the yields obtained from farmers’ fields remain below those achieved at research stations. Among the factors limiting bean production, weeds are the major constraint. Therefore, this experiment was conducted with the objective of determining appropriate weed management practices in bean production. The experiment consisted of 11 treatments, comprising varying rates of two herbicide types combined with different hand-weeding frequencies. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Among the evaluated treatments, S-metolachlor at 1 kg ha-1 supplemented with hand hoeing at 20 and 35 days after sowing (DAS) was the best weed management option, in addition to weed free. This treatment yielded an 81.21% yield advantage beyond the unweeded plots. The weed-free treatment and the S-metolachlor (1 kg ha-1) supplemented with hoeing at 20 and 35 DAS produced the maximum grain yields of 2518.6 kg ha-1 and 2320.7 kg ha-1, respectively. The maximum net benefits 59,845.6 ETB ha-1 was obtained from the application of S-metolachlor at 1 kg ha-1 supplemented with hoeing at 20 and 35 DAS. Therefore, to effectively manage weeds in common bean production within the study area, the using of S-metolachlor at 1 kg ha-1 combined with hoeing at 20 and 35 DAS is recommended until other more preferable alternative management options are developed. Keywords: common bean; herbicide; net return; weed; yield