Sains Malaysiana 52(8)(2023): 2225-2235

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2023-5208-05

Weed Control Efficacy and Soil Activity of a New Promising Bioherbicide ‘WeedLock’

(Keberkesanan Kawalan Rumpai dan Aktiviti Tanah 'WeedLock' Bioherbisida Baharu yang Berpotensi)

MAHMUDUL HASAN¹, ANIS SYAHIRAH MOKHTAR², KHAIRIL MAHMUD¹, ADAM MUSTAFA ROSLI⁴, HAFIZUDDIN HAMDAN⁴, MST. MOTMAINNA¹ & MUHAMMAD SAIFUL AHMAD-HAMDANI^1,3,*

¹Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

²Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

³Laboratory of Climate-Smart Food Crop Production, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

⁴EntoGenex Industries Sdn. Bhd., 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Received: 28 March 2022/Accepted: 4 January 2023

Abstract

The development of plant-based bioherbicides has gained the interest of researchers and acceptability from the farmers to control weeds in order to reduce their overdependence on chemical herbicides. Therefore, this research investigated the efficacy and soil activity of WeedLock, a new plant-based bioherbicide. In the efficacy study, WeedLock was applied at 672.75, 1345.50 (recommended dose), 2691.00 L ha^-1 over the untreated (control) on weeds in mixed- culture (Ageratum conyzoides L., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., and Cyperus iria L). For soil activity, Zea mays L. seedlings were grown in different soil textures, namely clay, sand, sandy clay loam, and peat soil and WeedLock was applied to each soil type at 1345.50 L ha^-1 with a pipette as a soil drench method. After 21 days, the plants were harvested, including roots and the soil in trays that were previously sprayed with WeedLock, and the trays were further maintained for 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks, respectively, before new seedlings were grown on the same soil. WeedLock at 1345.50 L ha^-1 showed severe injury on weeds and produced 98.15% weed control efficacy compared to untreated (control). For soil activity, WeedLock did not show any significant decrease in growth and development of Z. mays, and the injury scale was 1.00, which means all leaves of Z. mays remained green, and the plants were actively growing on the WeedLock treated soils. Thus, it can be concluded that WeedLock has excellent weed control efficacy with negligible soil activity.

Keywords: Efficacy; soil activity; soil textures; WeedLock

Abstrak

Pembangunan bioherbisida berasaskan tumbuhan telah menarik minat penyelidik dan penerimaan daripada petani untuk mengawal rumpai bagi mengurangkan kebergantungan berlebihan mereka terhadap racun herba kimia. Oleh itu, penyelidikan ini mengkaji keberkesanan dan aktiviti tanah WeedLock, bioherbisida baharu berasaskan tumbuhan. Dalam kajian keberkesanan, WeedLock telah digunakan pada 672.75, 1345.50 (dos yang disyorkan), 2691.00 L ha^-1 ke atas yang tidak dirawat (kawalan) pada rumpai dalam kultur campuran (Ageratum conyzoides L., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., dan Cyperus iria L). Untuk aktiviti tanah, anak benih Zea mays L. ditanam dalam tekstur tanah yang berbeza, iaitu tanah liat, pasir, tanah liat berpasir serta tanah gambut dan WeedLock digunakan untuk setiap jenis tanah pada 1345.50 L ha^-1 dengan pipet sebagai kaedah basah tanah. Selepas 21 hari, tanaman dituai, termasuk akar dan tanah dalam dulang yang sebelum ini disembur dengan WeedLock dan dulang terus dikekalkan masing-masing selama 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 dan 16 minggu, sebelum anak benih baru ditanam pada tanah yang sama. WeedLock pada 1345.50 L ha^-1 menunjukkan kecederaan teruk pada rumpai dan menghasilkan 98.15% keberkesanan kawalan rumpai berbanding yang tidak dirawat (kawalan). Untuk aktiviti tanah, WeedLock tidak menunjukkan sebarang penurunan ketara dalam pertumbuhan dan perkembangan Z. mays dan skala kecederaan ialah 1.00, yang bermaksud semua daun Z. mays kekal hijau dan tumbuhan sedang tumbuh secara aktif pada tanah yang dirawat WeedLock. Oleh itu, boleh disimpulkan bahawa WeedLock mempunyai keberkesanan kawalan rumpai yang sangat baik tanpa aktiviti tanah yang ketara.

Kata kunci: Aktiviti tanah; keberkesanan; tekstur tanah; WeedLock

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*Corresponding author; email: s_ahmad@upm.edu.my