Two field experiments were conducted in newly reclaimed land at Ismailia Agriculture Research Station, during the two successive winter seasons 2004/05 and 2005/06. The present research aimed to study the performance of two barley varieties [(Giza126) a hulled variety and (Giza 129) a hull-less barley], two kinds of fertilizer and five weed control treatments and its effect on the fresh weight of broad-leaved, grassy and total annual weeds, yield and yield components of barley.
Results indicated that varieties had no significant effect on the fresh weights of broad - leaved, grassy and total annual weeds at 70 and 100 days after sowing (DAS) in the first and second seasons. Varieties did not differ in plant height or yield and yield components of barley crop in both seasons except for the grain yield in the second season only. Grain yield increase reached around one ardab/fed for Giza 129 a hull-less variety as compared to Giza 126 a hulled variety.
Applying fertilizers affected significantly the fresh weight of annual broad - leaved weed at 70 and 100 days after sowing (DAS) in the first and second seasons, annual grassy weed at 100 (DAS) in the first season and at 70 and 100 (DAS) in the second season as well as total annual weeds at 100 (DAS) in the first and second seasons. Applying, mineral fertilizer 90 kg N/fed without bio-fertilizer gave the highest reduction in the fresh weight of annual broad-leaved weed by 38.7 and 40.8% at 70 and 100 (DAS), respectively, annual grassy weed by 26.4% at 100 (DAS) and total annual weeds by 31.9% at 100 (DAS) as compared to 50 kg N/fed plus mineral fertilizer, 90 kg N/fed plus mineral fertilizer, 70 kg N/fed plus mineral fertilizer and 50 kg N/fed plus mineral fertilizer respectively, in the first season. Also the same treatment gave the highest reduction in the fresh weight of annual broad-leaved weed by 26.4% at 70 (DAS) as compared to 70 kg N/fed plus bio- fertilizer in the second season. While applying mineral fertilizer 70 kg N/fed plus bio-fertilizer gave the highest reduction in the fresh weigh of annual broad – leaved weed by 34.3% at 100 (DAS) as compared to 50 kg N/fed plus bio-fertilizer in the second season. Applying, mineral fertilizer 90 kg N/fed plus bio-fertilizer gave the highest reduction in the fresh weight of annual grassy weed by 31.9 and 46.1% at 70 and 100 (DAS), respectively and total annual weeds by 39.4% as compared to 50 kg N/fed plus bio-fertilizer at100 (DAS) in the second season. Applying fertilizers did not affect plant height or yield and yield components of barley crop in first and second seasons except in the case of grain yield in the first and second seasons. Applying mineral fertilizer 90 kg N/fed plus bio-fertilizer gave the highest increase in grain yield (ardab/fed) by 32.8 and 31.5%, respectively, as compared to 50 kg N/fed plus bio-fertilizer in the first and second seasons.
All herbicidal treatments gave a significant effect on the fresh weights of broad- leaved, grassy and total annual weeds at 70 and 100 (DAS) and gave significant effect on plant height and grain yield and yield components of barley crop in the first and second seasons.
In general, applying tifensulfuron-methyl + metsuluron - methyl (68.2+6.8%) at the rate of 18 g (a.i)/fed followed by clodinafop - propargyl at the rate of 21 g (a.i)/fed was the most effective superior treatment in controlling the fresh weight of total annual weeds 70 (DAS) by 93.6 and 94.9%, respectively, as compared to untreated check in the first and second seasons. Tribenuron - methyl at the rate of 6 g (a.i)/fed followed by clodinafop-propargyl at the rate of 21 g (a.i)/fed was the most superior treatment in decreasing the fresh weight of total annual weeds by 96.2 and 97.6%, respectively, at 100 (DAS) as compared to untreated check in the first and second seasons. Also, applying the same treatment gave the highest increase in yield and yield components in the first and second seasons; thus gave the highest increase in grain yield (ardab/fed) by 144.6 and 164.6%, respectively, as compared to untreated check in the first and second seasons.
In general the interactions between varieties of barley, application fertilizers and weed control treatments had a significant effect in the fresh weights of annual broad - leaved, grassy and total annual weeds while, these interactions did not affect significantly on plant height, yield and yields components of barely except on grain yields in the first and second seasons.
The conclusion of the investigation that applying weed herbicides are the only measure effective in weed control in barley fields depend on weed class of dominant weed species meanwhile, the role of cultivars or fertilizers are not pronounced on weed control under the conditions of this study.