Growth and Yield Attributes of Maize as Influenced by Different Herbicide Treatments

Background: Weed interference during early maize growth can reduce resource availability and adversely affect crop development. Information on the relative responses of maize to different sequential herbicide treatments under Udaipur field conditions remains important for selecting suitable weed-management practices. Objective: To evaluate the effects of herbicide treatments on growth parameters and yield attributes of maize. Methods: A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2024 at the Instructional Farm of Agronomy, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur. Twelve treatments, including weedy and weed-free checks, herbicide combinations and herbicides followed by hand weeding, were assessed in a randomised block design with three replications. Pre-emergence herbicides were applied two days after sowing and post-emergence herbicides at 25 days after sowing (DAS). Results: The weed-free check recorded the highest values for the principal growth and yield attributes. Among herbicidal treatments, pyroxasulfone @ 127 g ha⁻¹ followed by tembotrione @ 120 g ha⁻¹ at 25 DAS (T10) generally performed best. T10 recorded plant heights of 74.23 and 186.37 cm at 30 and 60 DAS, respectively, a leaf area index of 4.43 at 60 DAS, a cob weight of 185.33 g and a 100-seed weight of 30.33 g. Other pyroxasulfone-based sequences showed statistically comparable responses for several growth parameters. Conclusion: Pyroxasulfone followed by tembotrione provided favourable maize growth and yield attributes under the study conditions, while the weed-free check remained superior overall.