Tolerance of grain sorghum to tembotryone

Grain sorghum is a prominent species among the crops used in succession in the Brazilian savanna region. However, no herbicide with selectivity to sorghum is currently registered for grass weed control. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the selectivity of tembotrione applied in post-emergence on grain sorghum crop (cultivar AG-1040). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design in a 5 x 3 factorial with four replicates. The treatments were five tembotrione doses, 0, 42, 88, 126 and 168 g a.i. ha-1; applied at three phenological stages of the crop: three, five, and eight expanded leaves. The variables evaluated were phytotoxicity level, plant height, shoot dry biomass and crop grain yield. Tembotrione showed higher phytotoxicity potential when applied at the early stages of sorghum growth. In spite of the different selectivity levels, which may vary depending on the dose and time of application, the sorghum cultivar studied showed a satisfactory tolerance to tembotrione. The results obtained indicate that this herbicide has the potential to be used in grain sorghum crop.

Sorghum bicolor; selectivity; HPPD-inhibiting herbicides