Ptnnhetum typhoideum (Bajra) and Sesamum indicum (Til) are the two most common crops grown under rainfed conditions. A large number of weeds also grow together with these crops competing with them for their common needs. For controlling weeds through weedicides, it becomes necessary to find out their least toxicity on a particular crop. In the present investigation, the effect of five pre-emergence weedicides was seen on germination, seedling emergence and growth of bajra and til crops. The weedicides used were atrataf (1 kg/ha), avenge (1 kg/ha), stomp 330-E (1 kg/ha), tok E-25 or nitrofen (1 lit/ha) and weedazol or amitrole (5 lbs/ha). All the weedicides lowered the germination percentage of both crops. In stomp 330-E there was absolutely no germination in bajra while in til it caused ‘elephantites’ in the shoot. Weedazol induced severe chlorosis in bajra seedling chlorophylls and carotenoids were drastically inhibited. Thus out of the five weedicides stomp 330-E and weedazol as such cannot be recommended for the use as pre-emergence weedicides for bajra and til crops.
