A research investigation at the Research Farm of University of Education, Afaha Nsit, Akwa Ibom State was conducted in the 2025 cropping season. The study was to examine the herbicidal suppression of weeds, safety on the growth and yield of chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum) and component crop. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Six treatments were used in the study namely 1.5kg ai/ha linuron+Chlobromuron (1.0 and 1.5kg ai/ha), Pendimethalin+Metobromuron (1.0 and 1.5kg ai/ha), Hand-weeded (2x) (control) and Weedy. All herbicidal treatment plots were integrated with vegetable cowpea at 50,000 plants/ha. The data were collected on weed density, dry weed biomass, agronomic characters of pepper and fresh pepper fruits yield and analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test, at 5% significance level. The pre-test results showed that vegetable cowpea was more tolerance to the herbicidal effects and produced more ground coverage than Ife brown variety hence it was used for the study.  The study revealed that hand-weeded treatment produced one of the highest fresh pepper fruit yields/ha but ranked 5th in the monetary net benefit and was 28.5% of the highest net benefit. The weedy treatment reduced fresh pepper fruit yield by 68.2% while pendimethalin+metobromuron at 1.5kg ai/ha reduced fresh pepper fruit yield by 11.7% but produced the lowest weed density and dry weed biomass. The results also showed that linuron+chlobromuron at 1.0kg ai/ha integrated with vegetable cowpea gave one of the best agronomic characters and fresh fruit yield/ha. It also produced the highest monetary net benefit hence it is recommended.

Chilli pepper, herbicides, vegetable cowpea, fruit-yield

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