Evaluation of pre- and post-emergence herbicides for weed control in maize (Zea mays L.)

A field experiment was conducted during 2014–2015 to investigate the efficacy of herbicides [Merlin flexx (isoxaflutole), pre- and post-emergence; Equip (foramsulfuron), post-emergence; and Maister (foramsulfuron + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium), post-emergence] in maize (cv NSC 444) crops grown in the Prishtina region of Kosovo. The field experiment was set in a randomised block design with four replications and elementary plots of 10 m2. A total of 14 weed species were documented in the maize crop in 2014, which increased to 27 in 2015, with the dominant species being Amaranthus retroflexus (87.0 plants*m-2 in 2014 versus 43.3 plants*m-2 in 2015). The most efficient herbicides in both years were pre-emergence (98.1% vs 92.5%; 2014 vs 2015) and isoxaflutole post-emergence (98.8% vs 89.9%; 2014 vs 2015). All plots treated with herbicides significantly influenced the increase of maize yield in comparison with the control plots. In conclusion, the use of isoxaflutole either pre-emergence or post-emergence is recommended in the study region for successful weed control and high maize grain yields