Abstract
Background:
Conventional method of rice cultivation has proven to be resource intensive, limiting its long term sustainability. On the contrary direct seeding offers a potential rice establishment method provided its increased susceptibility to weed infestation is taken care of.
Objective:
The principle aim of this study was to evaluate both pre- and post-emergence herbicides for effective weed suppression, while optimizing time window for herbicide application.
Methods:
A comprehensive two year study was conducted to assess the efficacy of new generation pre- and post-emergence herbicides including pendimethalin followed by 2,4-D, penoxsulam, pyrozosulfuron ethyl + pretilachlor, triafamone + ethoxysulfuron, ethoxysulfuron, fenoxyprop p-ethyl along with weed-free and weedy check treatments.
Results:
All herbicides substantially reduced weed biomass by 58–94% at 45 days after sowing. Pre- mix triafamone + ethoxysulfuron proved most effective against grasses and sedges, followed by penoxulam for sedges and pendimethalin followed by 2,4 -D for broadleaved weeds (BLW). Herbicide application significantly improved yield-related parameters compared to the weedy check. Application of pre-mix triafamone + ethoxysulfuron excelled, yielding 7.3 tons per hectare, a remarkable 383% increase over the weedy check. Key yield attributes such as panicles per square meter (349), grains per panicle (91), and 1,000-grain weight (25 g) were significantly elevated due to the application of triafamone + ethoxysulfuron (60 g a.i ha-1).
Conclusion:
Application of triafamone+ ethoxysulfuron an early post emergence herbicide witnessed significantly greater seed yield which was comparable to weed free situation besides, controlling diverse weed flora with higher weed control efficiency of 87 to 90%.
Keywords:
Direct seeding; Herbicides; Rice cultivation; Root growth; Weed flora; Yield
Thumbnail
Thumbnail
