Biological and economic efficiency of herbicides in the protection of corn crops for grain in the Ryazan region

Abstract

Relevance. The slow development of the crop at the beginning of the growing season (from sowing to the 5-leaf phase) makes it uncompetitive to weed species. Weeds, adapted to cool spring temperatures, and forming a powerful underground and above-ground mass, suppress corn crops. During the growing season, weeds compete with corn plants for light, soil moisture and nutrients. In the absence of protective measures, grain yield losses can be up to 70%.

Methods. The results of two-year field tests of post-emergence herbicides used to reduce the harmfulness of weeds and increase the yield of corn cultivated for grain in the conditions of the Ryazan region are presented. In the scheme of the experiment, herbicides were studied: Cordus Plus, VDG — 0.2 l/ha; MeisTer Power, MD — 1.5 l/ha; Elumis, MD — 1.6 l/ha. The research was conducted in 2020 and 2021 at the experimental field of the Institute. The soil of the site is dark gray forest heavy loamy, the humus content is 3.8%. The predecessor is winter wheat. The corn variety is NK Falcon with FAO 190.

Results. It was found that the studied herbicides effectively reduced the contamination of crops from 89 to 94% in 2020 and from 85 to 91% in 2021. The analysis of the elements of the structure of corn cobs showed that the number of grains and the mass of 1000 grains in the cob influenced the formation of yield. The studied herbicides contributed to an increase in the number of grains in the cob in 2020 by 148–157 pcs., in 2021 — by 85–95 pcs., as well as the mass of 1000 grains by 96–139 g and 75–93 g, respectively. An additional crop of corn grain was obtained on the variants: in 2020 — 55–60.0%, in 2021 — 70.5–78.3%.