Efficacy of Pilot 36% WDG Herbicide against Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Weeds in Bonke Chencha and Kamba, SNNPRs

The verification study was worked out at Bonke, Chencha, and Kamba in SNNPRs during 2021 to evaluate the efficacy of the herbicide Pilot 36% WDG (candidate) relative to other promising standard herbicides (Musket Power OD 460) for the control of annual, biennial, and perennial weed species in wheat for registration purpose in Ethiopia. The study comprised three treatments and was laid in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that Pilot 36% WDG application revealed noticeably lessened mean weed population numbers (19.0) compared with Musket Power OD 460 30-days after application across locations. Pilot 36% WDG’s sprayed plots exhibited acceptable measures on mean general weed control (88.89%) and individual weed species control (93.59%) compared with Musket Power OD 460 28-days after application in the three locations. Highest mean weed control efficiency (83.54%), lowest mean dry biomass weight (0.17 kg m-2) and relatively highest grain yield (4379.32 kg ha-1) were noted from plots sprayed with Pilot 36% WDG compared with others across locations. Additionally, weed flora shift assessment indicated that after 60-days once the perennial weed species were controlled, the flora on the plots treated with Pilot 36% WDG have changed into annual weed species. Overall, the result obtained from this study Pilot 36% WDG was found highly effective, and therefore, it is recommended for registration for the control of sedge, grass, and broadleaf weeds in wheat production.