1Contribution from Department of Agronomy, Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500030, (A.P.), India
Four concentrations of paraquat (Gramoxone) and five harvesting times were tried to evaluate the usage of paraquat as pre harvest desiccant. The percentage of green grain reduced with the increase in concentration of paraquat, whereas the reverse was the trend in shedding and broken grain percentage. Grain yield, test weight, germination percentage, hulling and milling percentage and cooking quality were not effected by paraquat treatment. Paraquat concentration at 0.1% and harvesting 24 hours after spray were found to be superior to other treatments which resulted in the advancement of maturity by 9 days in comparison with unsprayed normal maturity. In addition the resultant moisture content (14.06%) of the seed with this treatment was nearer to the recommended storage moisture content. The residue of the paraquat in raw paddy was within the tolerant limits.
