Asian Journal of Research and Review in Agriculture

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major food crop and serves as a staple food for human consumption, a cash crop for currency, feed for livestock, and as raw material for many industrial uses in Africa and Ethiopia as well, and is the most important grain covering wider acres than other grains in sub-Saharan Africa. However, despite its nutritional and economic values, most maize growers still obtain very low yields due to a combination of biotic and abiotic constraints. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the herbicide Dalak 347 EC relative to other promising standard herbicides, Calistone 55 SC, for the control of annual, biennial, and perennial weed species in maize. The study was conducted at Arba Minch and Mihirab Abaya in SNNPRs in 2021 to evaluate the efficacy of the herbicide Dalak 347 EC relative to other promising standard herbicides, Calistone 55 SC, for the control of annual, biennial, and perennial weed species in maize. In this study, three treatments were comprised and arranged in a randomised complete block design with three replications. The herbicide Dalak 347 EC showed a conspicuously lower mean number of weed population (13.33) compared with Calistone 55 SC after 30 days of application in the two locations. Dalak 347 EC’s sprayed plots demonstrated satisfactory measures on mean general weed control (88.89%) and individual weed species control (95.33%) compared with Calistone 55 SC after 28 days of application in both locations. The highest mean weed control efficiency (94.34%), lowest mean dry biomass weight (0.15 kg m^-2), and comparatively maximum mean grain yield (2658.11 kg ha^-1) were noted from Dalak 347 EC sprayed plots compared with others in both locations. Furthermore, weed flora shift valuation signposted that after 70 days, once the perennial weeds were controlled, the flora on Dalak 347 EC-sprayed plots had transformed into annual weed species. Overall, the evidence obtained from Dalak 347 EC was encountered as highly effective, and therefore, it is recommended for registration for the control of sedge, grass, and broadleaf weeds in maize production. These findings provide a promising herbicide option to improve maize productivity and manage weeds in Southern Ethiopia.