Chemical Control of Egyptian Broomrape, Phelipanche aegyptiaca, with Sulfosulfuron Herbicide in Tomato Fields in Hormozgan Province

In order to investigate the efficacy of sulfosulfuron (Apyros® WG75%) on the control of broomrape (Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Pers.) Pomel) and the tomato yield (sunseed cultivar), an experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with 4 treatments and 4 replications on tomato in three separate fields (Khamir, Minab and Roodan regions) in Hormozgan province in 2015. Treatments were sulfosulfuron at 20, 30 and 40 g/ha and control (weed check with broomrape). All herbicide treatments were used at 30, 40, 50 days after tomato transplanting in fields. The results of multivariate analysis of variance show significant differences on density and dry weight of broomrape and so on dry weight and yield of tomato due to the location and treatment effects and their interactions at 1% level. Mean comparison of data show that with increase in the concentration of sulfosulfuron there is a decrease in broomrape density and dry weight and an increase in tomato dry weight and yield. Accordingly, the sulfosulfuron at 30 g/ha was shown to be the best treatment because this value of sulfosulfuron had suitable controlling effects on P. aegyptiaca and had no side-effects on tomato plants. According to the results, with 30 g/ha of sulfosulfuron the broomrape density in Khamir, Minab and Roodan regionswere counted to be 4.25, 2.60 and 3.73 broomrape/m2 respectively. The dry weight of broomrape in three regions was registered as 43.75, 32.75 and 53.04 g/ m2, the tomato dry weight was registered as 79.212, 64.73 and 65.605 ton/ha and the tomato yield was registered as 92.977, 78.468 and 79.375 ton/ha, respectively.