Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2017) 6(12): 1619-1626 1619 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.612.182 Bio-efficacy of Post Emergent Application of Tembotrione on Mixed Weed Flora in Spring Maize (Zea mays L.) Under Irrigated Sub-tropical Shiwalik Foothills of J&K, India Parveen Akhtar 1 , Anil Kumar 2 , Jai Kumar 2 , Neetu Sharma 1 , Lobzang Stanzen 1* , Ashu Sharma 1 , Amit Mahajan 1 and Sapna Bhagat 1 1 Department of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology, FOA Chatha, Jammu-180009, India 2 Advanced Centre for Rainfed Agriculture (ACRA), Rakh Dhiansar, SKUAST-Jammu, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Maize (Zea mays L.) occupies a pride place in India both as food and feed for animals and is an important cereal crop after rice and wheat. Most of the maize crop culture in the state of J&K is practiced during the kharif season i.e. June to September with an effective crop growth period ranging from 90-120 days. Maize a versatile crop has a great potential to grow not only in summer but during winter and spring seasons also in the foot-hill and mid-hill conditions in the state. Its cultivation is gaining popularity in spring season owing to its higher production and lesser time taken as compared to kharif maize. Also, spring maize is by and large safer from insect-pest attack and can be grown in areas where adequate irrigation facilities are available. Thus, it is a source of additional income generation for farmers during off season or when the field are left fallow after rabi crop culture. The area under the winter and spring maize is meager in the country and the low productivity of spring planted maize can be attributed to several factors and all but one International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 12 (2017) pp. 1619-1626 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of SKUAST-J, Chatha Jammu, during the spring season 2013 to evaluate the efficacy of tembotrione (42% SC), a relatively new post emergence herbicide against mixed weed flora in spring maize. The experimental field was highly infested with Cyperus rotundus, Cynodon dactylon, Phyllanthus niruri and Digitria sanguinalis. Post emergence application of tembotrione @ 120 g ha -1 at 15 DAS not only reduced the total weed population, weeds dry weight and weed index but also increased the weed control efficiency, grain and stover yields which was at par with post emergence application of tembotrione @ 120 g ha -1 at 30 DAS and two hand weeding at 15 and 30 DAS. Highest net returns of `43, 975 ha -1 and B: C ratio of 1.88 were obtained with the treatment tembotrione post emergence @ 120 g ha -1 at 15 DAS followed by the treatment tembotrione post emergence @ 120 g ha -1 at 30 DAS of `43, 028 and 1.84, respectively. Keywords Spring maize, Tembotrione, Post- emergence, Weed control efficiency, Weed flora, Yield. Accepted: 12 October 2017 Available Online: 10 December 2017 Article Info