HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Yau, S. K. Articles by Haidar, M. A. PubMed Articles by Yau, S. K. Articles by Haidar, M. A. Agricola Articles by Yau, S. K. Articles by Haidar, M. A. Related Collections Weed Management Other Crop Management Other Oil Crops

WEED MANAGEMENT

Evaluation of Weed Management Practices for Rain-Fed Safflower Production in a Semiarid Mediterranean Environment

Faculty of Agric. and Food Sci., American Univ. of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-236, Beirut, Lebanon

^* Corresponding author (sy00{at}aub.edu.lb).

Since safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) has slow early growth, effective early weed control is essential. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of various nonchemical and chemical practices for weed management in rain-fed safflower. Field experiments were performed for three production years in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. Six weed management practices were tested: delayed sowing, delayed sowing with interrow cultivation, normal sowing with interrow cultivation, preemergence herbicide, hand weeding, and the normal sowing weedy check. Averaged over 1999–2000 and 2000–2001, weeds were absent with herbicide application and there were as few as <4 weed plants m^–2 in delayed sowing with interrow cultivation and hand weeding. Interrow cultivation under normal sowing, herbicide application, and hand weeding gave higher safflower seed and straw yields than the weedy check. Over the three production years, only interrow cultivation under normal sowing and hand weeding produced higher safflower seed and straw yields than the weedy check. In conclusion, interrow cultivation under normal sowing could be considered the best practice; application of pendimethalin and pronamide was also superior to delay sowing.

All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Received for publication June 25, 2007.