Herbicide selectivity applied in post-emergence in pearl millet

Abstract

The knowledge of differential tolerance of pearl millet to different herbicides is critical to the success of chemical weed management in culture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the selectivity of different herbicides applied post-emergence on growing pearl millet. Two experiments were conducted in a greenhouse in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The first experiment involved the following herbicides (g. i.a.ha^-1): atrazine (500 and 1000), bentazon (720), carfentrazone-ethyl (3.75), clomazone (400), diclosulam (20), diuron (800), ethoxysulfuron (18), flumioxazin (10), mesotrione (60), oxadiazon (500), tembotrione (40), atrazine + flumioxazin + carfentrazone-ethyl (300 + 5 + 2), and a control without application. In the second were used: bentazon (400), clomazone (400), diclosulam (10 and 15), diuron (400), ethoxysulfuron (15), bentazon + diclosulam (200 + 7.5), diclosulam + diuron (7.5 + 200), bentazon + diuron (200 + 200) and a control without application. In the first experiment, applications of herbicides clomazone, oxadiazon, atrazine + flumioxazin + carfentrazone-ethyl, flumioxazin, tembotrione and carfentrazone-ethyl showed phytotoxicity, unlike atrazine that did not cause visual symptoms in pearl millet, but reduced dry matter yield. Mesotrione herbicide in post-emergence application did not affect the pearl millet growth. In the second experiment the greatest injuries were caused by diclosulam and clomazone. However, all herbicides reduced dry matter accumulation of culture. It is concluded that the selectivity of herbicides depends on the product applied millet, and has the potential to mesotrione applied post-emergence of the crop.