Vol. 15—1961 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

EFFECTOF SEVERALHERBICIDESONEARLYYIELDArID
PLANTGROWTHOF VALIANTTOMATOES
Peter
C. Rogers and Oscar E. SchUbert l
·1250
Each year weed competition costs farmers considerable money ,by
decreasing yield and increasing the costs of production. Any herb:i.cide
that will increase the efficiency of weed control without appreciable injury
to the plant or excessive cost is desirable. In 1959, O. E. Schubert
and N. C. Hardin (1) tested several herbicides on tomato plants. The
experiment described in this paper was planned to recheck the more effective
treatments and combinations of these. The: herbicides were applied to
established tomato transplants grown in the field to determine their
effectiveness in weed control, the extent of. the injury to the tomato plants,
and the yield of fruit.
MATERIALSArID METHODS
The experiment was conducted at the West Virginia U~iversity Horticulture
Farm on a heavy clay loam. Valiant tomato plants were grown in 2 1/2 11
'WOodveneer bands before they were set out in the field on May 21. Each
plot was 9 feet wide and 12 feet long and contained 4 plants. There were
eight replications of twelve treatments each. These treatments are given
in Table 1. .
The first herbdides were applied on June 7, the day of the last
cultivation. These treatments were all pre-emergent granulars and were
applied as evenly as possible with a saltshaker having large holes. A
follow-up spray application was made on some plots at the weed height
optimum for the application of Solan. This height, 1-1 1/2 lt , was r~ached
on June 22, and the plots were sprayed the same da.y. Also another spray,
a combination of Solan and S1ma.zine, was applied at this time with the
intent of killing and checking further growth of the weeds. The treatments
were applied in water at the rate of 1 quart per plot or 100 gallons per
acre at 75 pounds pressure by the use of a power sprayer with a weed nozzle.
RESULTSANDDISCUSSION'
Early J marketable and total yields of tomatoes are shown in /l'able 2.
Where Simazine Sow+ Solan was applied the plants were significantly
more productive than all the other treatments except the hoed check in
both early (all fruit harvested by August 11) and total 'yields (all fruit
harvested by August 18). The plants in the hoed check plots had significantly
greater early production than those in .Amiben plots followed by
Simazine Sow+ Solan. In total yield the plants in the hoed check plots
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'TGraduate' stUdent and Associate Horticulturist, West Virginia. University.