This work aimed to quantify effects on yield components of rice, cultivar Pelota, caused by a simulated spray drift of imazethapyr + imazapic herbicide in function of the start of flooding timing. The experiment was carried out at Palma Agriculture Center (CAP/UFPel) during the 2003/04 growing season. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Treatments consisted of simulating drift by applying increasing dosages of the herbicide at the following rates: 0%, 3.125%; 6.25%; 12.5%; 25%; 50% or 100% of the commercial dosage (amended with Dash at 0.5% v/v), on rice plants at V2 to V4 growth stages. Flooding was applied either three days prior or after treatment application. The herbicide was applied using a CO2 pressurized costal sprayer (flat fan nozzles 110.015 on the boom) at 150 L ha-1 with a constant pressure of 210 kPa. The yield parameters evaluated by the time of harvest were: number of culms at R3 stage, number of grains per panicle, number of sterile spikelets, thousand-grain weight and grain yield. The results showed that yield components were negatively affected with increasing herbicide dosage, when the crop was kept under drier conditions. However, flooding before herbicide application reduced herbicide drift losses on rice plants.
chemical control; imazethapyr + imazapic; Oryza sativa
