Herbicides for the control of grass weeds in peanut crops at Katherine, NT

Abstract

The soil-incorporated herbicides trifluralin, at 1 lb a.i. an acre, and benefin, at 2 lb a.i. an acre, gave excellent control of grasses, mainly Digitaria adscendens and Bracharia ramosa in pemut crops over two seasons at Katherine, N.T. Chlorthal at 8 to 10 lb a.i. an acre gave excellent control ir, one season, but only fair control in the other. Prometryne gave good grass control at 1 1/2 to 2 lb a.i, an acre but caused crop damage at 3 lb a.i. an acre. Chloramben at 4 lb a.i. an acre and 2,4-D (amine) at 2 and 4 Ib a.i. an acre, both applied pre-emergence, gave an unsatisfactory control of grasses and adversely affected crop growth. The application of trifluralin, benefin, chlorthal, and prometryne gave nut-in-shell yields equal to or better than handweeded control plots. Cultivation alone gave very poor control of grasses. Where weed populations were low following the use of one of the effective herbicides interrow cultivations generally gave lower yields than the corresponding handweeded herbicide treatment. Although carefully done the interrow cultivations must have caused some crop damage.