WEED CONTROL IN SUNFLOWER CROP IN NORTH-EASTERN BUCHAREST

In Romania there are over 60% of the weed species occuring in Europe and the weeding extent of agricultural fields is very high. Weed control is a technological measure which is a part of any cropping system. Sunflower crop is especially sensitive to weeding in the first 5-6 weeks after emergence and post emergent weed control is very delicate. There is a limited number of products available for dicotyledonous weed control and they must be applied according to the growing season of the weeds and the crop. It is imperative for the farmers to set the best strategy for weed control (dicotyledonous after emergence) in maize crop and this helps implement a sustainable agriculture system to also preserve resources and insure steady yields. Research was carried out in the pedoclimatic conditions of Moara Domneasca, in the years 2008 and 2009. The experiment was bifactorial where factor A was weed control (Wt unhoed, Wt hoed, Focus ultra, Fusilade forte, Targa 10 EC, Modown 4 F, Racer 25 EC) and factor B was fertilization (unfertilized, N100P70). The findings were that the weeding extent varied between 22.4% when applying the herbicide Racer under no fertilization and 61% for the herbicide Targa 10 EC under fertilization. The mean yields obtained in the two experimenting years were between 1400 kg per ha when applying Modown and 410 kg per ha in the unhoed and unfertilized control.