Effects of Weed Control on Growth and Yield of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) in the Sudan Savanna, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the rainy season of 2018 at the Research Farm of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, to evaluate the effect of weed management on the growth and yield attributes of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.). Eight treatments of weed management regime and three replications were used in the RCBD experiment. Two different herbicides, Atrazine and Metolachlor, were applied at three different rates 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 kg a.i. ha^-1, weeding at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS) and control plot (weedy check). The experiment results show that weed control had significant impact on plant height at 6, 9 and 12 WAS, number of tillers, weed density, weed dry weight, weed control efficiency, panicle length, days to 50% heading and grain yield. In contrast, plant stands, plant height at 3 WAS, and 1000 grains weight had non-significant effects. Pre-emergence application of Metolachlor at 1.6 kg a.i ha^-1 followed by supplementary hoe weeding at 6 WAS resulted in the lowest weed density (3, 30 and 24/1 m² at 3, 6 and during harvest, respectively), the most inferior weed dry weight (60.7, 602.4, and 330.57 kg ha^-1 at 3, 6 and during harvest, respectively), and the highest weed control quality (944.46%). This treatment yielded significantly more grain (3030.37 kg ha^-1), possibly due to the substantially higher plant height (240.33 cm) and the number of tillers (5.2 hill^-1) at harvest.