EVALUATION OF SOME PRE- AND POST- EMERGENCE HERBICIDES FOR WEED CONTROL ON GROUNDNUT (Arachis hypogea L.) IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Field trials were conducted in the wet seasons of 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the effect of Pre- and Post-Emergence herbicides for weed control and performance of groundnut to address the problem of low yield due to weed interference in the crop. Among the ten weed control treatments evaluated in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated three times, the mixtures of metolachlor + prometryn at 2.5 + 1.5 kg a.i/ha, metolachlor + terbutryn at 3.34 + 1.68 kg a.i/ha and ametryn + terbutryn at 3.2 + 2.0 kg a.i/ha gave better growth and pod yield of the crop. However, application of metolachlor + metobrumuron at 1.5 + 1.0 kg a.i/ha and ametryn + terbutryn at 2.4 + 1.5 kg a.i/ha gave lower crop vigour, higher crop injury score, high weed infestation and lower pod yield. It can be concluded that the first three promising herbicide mixtures above (metolachlor + prometryn at 2.5 +1.5 Kg a.i./ha, metolachlor +terbutryn at 3.34 +1.68Kg a.i./ha and ametryn +terbutryn at 3.2 + 2.0 Kg a.i./ha), can be adopted by farmers instead of hoe-weeding for weed control in groundnut in Northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria