Which is the best weed control for your farm?

Tillage is the most common method of mechanical weed control and it's done before planting or after planting in rows. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Yield losses in maize is mainly caused by completion with weeds. Weed infestation is a severe problem in early part of the growing season. This is because of the slow growth and wide row spacing. Weeds compete with maize crop for light, nutrients, space, and moisture. This affects the morphology and phenology of crops, reduces yield, and damages the quality of grains. Additionally, high weed infestation increases the cost of cultivation, lowers value of land, and reduces the returns of maize farmers.

To realise favourable yields form maize, proper weed management is necessary. The recommended best practice is that an integrated approach to weed management is adopted. This involves a combination of cultural, mechanical, biological, genetic, and chemical methods. This is because no single method can provide complete weed control.