زهره عموزاد خلیلی

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. response to some pre-planting and post-emergence herbicides application in Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, University of Tehran, in 2015. The experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with seven treatments and four replications. Treatments were trifluralin, pendimethalin, metribuzin as pre-planting herbicides and imazethapyr, rimsulfuron, bentazon as post-emergence herbicides as well as no herbicide application (control). Fresh weight, dry weight, survival percent and visual evaluation (EWRC) of seedlings (15 and 28 days after spraying) were measured. Results showed that the treatments were significantly different in terms of fresh weight, dry weight and seedling survival percent (P < 0.01). The highest weed fresh weight reduction percent compared to the control belonged to metribuzin application with 92.4%, that there was no significant difference with imazethapyr. Metribuzin with 83.8% had the highest dry weight reduction percent compared to the control. Visual evaluation in both periods of time showed that the post-emergence herbicides had the significant effect on weed seedlings. This study was a primary investigation to select a proper herbicide in chemical management of C. colocynthis, therefore, the results can be used for herbicides screening in supplementary experiments.