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Drought significantly affects corn phenology and yield. Rice husk mulching is a technical cultural strategy to mitigate water stress caused by drought. This research aimed to determine the optimal dosage of rice husk mulch for the growth and yield of corn. Determining the optimal dosage of rice husk mulch is essential for agricultural efficiency, environmental sustainability, and plant health. A single-factor Randomized Complete Block Design was arranged for this research. The treatment consisted of varying dosages of rice husk mulch, namely 2; 4; 6; 8 kg.m⁻² rice husk mulch and without rice husk mulch. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and followed by the Post Hoc Tukey’s HSD at α= 5%. The highest of plant height (185.99 cm), number of leaves (12.58), stem diameter (23.32 mm), stem dry weight (146.40 g), leaf dry weight (37.20 g), root dry weight (53.90 g), total dry weight (237.50 g), and suppressed weeds up to 234.47% were achieved in 6 kg.m⁻² rice husk mulch. At this dosage, it impacts the optimal cob weight with cornhusk and the dry weight of the kernels. The optimal dosage of rice husk mulch was 5.9 kg.m⁻². This study shows that optimizing plant height and cob weight with cornhusk per plant are key indicators for achieving high corn yield. The study demonstrates that rice husk mulch can suppress weeds, and enhance corn growth and yield during drought, compared to conditions without rice husk mulch.

Drought significantly affects corn phenology and yield. Rice husk mulching is a technical cultural strategy to mitigate water stress caused by drought. This research aimed to determine the optimal dosage of rice husk mulch for the growth and yield of corn. Determining the optimal dosage of rice husk mulch is essential for agricultural efficiency, environmental sustainability, and plant health. A single-factor Randomized Complete Block Design was arranged for this research. The treatment consisted of varying dosages of rice husk mulch, namely 2; 4; 6; 8 kg.m-2 rice husk mulch and without rice husk mulch. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and followed by the Post Hoc Tukey's HSD at a= 5%. The highest of plant height (185.99 cm), number of leaves (12.58), stem diameter (23.32 mm), stem dry weight (146.40 g), leaf dry weight (37.20 g), root dry weight (53.90 g), total dry weight (237.50 g), and suppressed weeds up to 234.47% were achieved in 6 kg.m-2 rice husk mulch. At this dosage, it impacts the optimal cob weight with cornhusk and the dry weight of the kernels. The optimal dosage of rice husk mulch was 5.9 kg.m-2. This study shows that optimizing plant height and cob weight with cornhusk per plant are key indicators for achieving high corn yield. The study demonstrates that rice husk mulch can suppress weeds, and enhance corn growth and yield during drought, compared to conditions without rice husk mulch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2021 to assess the effect of various weed management practices in groundnut at Agronomy Instructional Farm, Chimanbhai Patel College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar, Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar on loamy sand soil. Among different treatments, two hand weeding at 20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS) recorded significantly higher pod and haulm yield (1980 and 3082 kg/ha, respectively) and found at par with interculturing and hand weeding at 15 and 30 DAS (1892 and 2950 kg/ha, respectively), post-emergence application of sodium acifluorfen 16.5 + clodinafop-propargyl 8 EC @ 165+80 g/ha (1835 and 2864 kg/ha, respectively) and imazethapyr 35 WG + imazamox 35 WG @ 70 g/ha (1800 and 2811 kg/ha, respectively) as compared to unweeded check (846 and 1333 kg/ha, respectively) due to effective suppression of grasses, sedges, broad leaf and total weeds at 60 DAS and at harvest with higher weed control efficiency and lower weed index values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata) is an important crop, grown over 2,000 hectares in Iran. The consumption demand for sweet corn in its fresh form or as a processed crop has contributed to a significant increase in its cultivation in recent years. Sweet corn is susceptible to weed competition for nutrients, moisture, and light interception. Herbicides labeled for use on sweet corn are limited. Chemical control can be very important because of the low efficiency and cost effectiveness of mechanical or other methods of weed control. Hence, it is necessary to provide information about the sulfonylurea herbicides and suitable doses. Sulfonylureas such as nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, and foramsulfuron are effective group of herbicides for annual and perennial weed control in maize. These herbicides provide a new chance for weed management in maize. Their mode of action occurs through inhibiting acetolactate synthase (ALS), thereby interfering with the production of branched-chain amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the effect of different doses of sulfonylurea herbicides on weeds control and growth and yield of sweet corn. Materials and Methods In order to evaluate the effect of different doses of sulfonylurea herbicides on weeds control and growth and yield of sweet corn (KSC403su), a field study carried out during 2015 growing seasons at the Agricultural College of Shiraz University. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications. Treatments included different doses of nicosulfuron (1.5, 2 and 2.5 l ha-1), foramsulfuron + idosulfuron (1, 1.5 and 2 l ha-1) and acetochlor (4.5, 5 and 5.5 l ha-1) herbicides and weed free and weedy control. The number and dry weight of aboveground weeds parts were harvested within three fixed 1 × 1 m quadrats in every plot, separated by species, enumerated, oven-dried at 75 °C for 48 h, and then weighed. Then, percent weed density and dry weight reductions were measured. The traits included ear length, ear diameter, ear number per plant, row number per ear, grain number per row, grain number per ear and canned grain yield. Data were analyzed using SAS v. 9.1 software (SAS Institute 2003). When significant differences were observed among treatments, mean comparisons were made using Duncan's multiple range tests (P < 0.05). Correlation coefficients between different traits were also calculated. Results and Discussion Results showed that the canned grain yield, 1000 grain weight and number of grain per ear were reduced by weeds up to 73, 33 and 60%, respectively. The highest dry weights reduction obtained were of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) (75.8 and 59.5%), lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) (49.84 and 38.76%), barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) (58.37 and 40.85%) and bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) (60.56 and 55.06%), so that applying of nicosulfuron )2.5 l ha-1) and foramsulfuron + idosulfuron (2 l ha-1) herbicides caused reduction in total dry weight of weeds in comparison with weedy treatment, and canned seed yield increased by nicosulfuron )2.5 l ha-1) and foramsulfuron + idosulfuron (2 l ha-1) herbicides in comparison to the acetochlor. Acetochlor was the weakest treatment in the reduction of weed density and dry weight. The highest canned grain yield (8.00 and 7.03 t ha-1), number of row per ear (12.00 and 11.50), number of grain per row (25.00 and 24.75), number of grain per ear (299.00 and 285.50) and 1000 grain weight (325.06 and 308.44 g) were obtained in nicosulfuron )2.5 l ha-1) and foramsulfuron + idosulfuron (2 l ha-1) herbicides, respectively. Positive correlation was found between canned grain yield and 1000 grain weight (r = 0.83, p

Weeds result in a significant yield loss in mungbean (Vigna radiata [L.] R. Wilczek). However, post‐emergence (POST) herbicides are limited in mungbean for broad‐spectrum weed control. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacies of different herbicides in mungbean to find a suitable broad‐spectrum POST herbicide. Nine herbicides, weed‐free check, and unweeded control treatments were tested in a randomised block design with three replications for two consecutive years. Among the tested herbicides, clodinafop‐propargyl + sodium‐acifluorfen 122.5 g a.i. ha−1 applied at 15 days after sowing (DAS) reduced the broad‐leaved weed dry weight at 35 DAS and harvest by 55.8% and by 58.6% (p < 0.05) compared with the unweeded control respectively. Notably, it minimised the total weed dry weight by 23.1%–30.3% compared with the recommended herbicide pendimethalin 1 kg a.i. ha−1 – quizalopfop‐p‐ethyl 100 g a.i. ha−1 (p ≤ 0.05). Clodinafop‐propargyl + sodium‐acifluorfen had higher weed control index (58.2% at 35 DAS and 62.1% at harvest) over the remaining tested herbicides. Unweeded controls resulted in 51% yield loss compared with the clodinafop‐propargyl + sodium‐acifluorfen that did not differ from pendimethalin − quizalofop‐p‐ethyl for seed yield of mungbean. Decreasing order of treatment efficacy on mean grain yield across two years comprised the weed‐free check, clodinafop‐propargyl + sodium‐acifluorfen and pendimethalin − quiza‐lofop‐p‐ethyl, imazethapyr + imazamox, tembotrione, and topramezone. [Correction added on 10 November 2022, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, changes have been made to the article content to improve clarity in this version.] Application of clodinafop‐propargyl + sodium‐acifluorfen led to the greatest increase in soil microbial biomass carbon, indicating higher levels of soil biological and rhizospheric activity. We suggest that clodinafop‐propargyl + sodium acifluorfen is a suitable broad‐spectrum option for weed management of mungbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the effect of different weed control managements on emergence characteristics and morphological growth of rice seedlings in the seedling stage in a direct seeding system, a field experiment has been conducted in the 2020 growing season, Babolsar, Bahnemir, Iran. Being a factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replications, the experiment employs the following treatments: Shiroudi, Khazar, and Hashemi cultivars as well as various weed control management in five levels of seed coating with calcium chloride, seed coating with potassium chloride, weeding, chemical control, and control. The interaction effect of weed management and cultivar shows that coating the seeds with calcium chloride, potassium chloride, and weeding cuts the dry weight of grasses by 55%, 68%, and 85% in Shiroudi cultivar, by 79%, 63%, and 54% in Khazar cultivar, and 30%, 58%, and 35% in Hashemi cultivar, respectively, compared to the control. The maximum percentage of germination with 99%, 97%, and 95% belong to seed coating with potassium chloride, calcium chloride, and weeding in Shiroudi cultivar, respectively. The highest germination rate could be observed in potassium and calcium chloride seed coating treatments and weeding. The lowest density of broadleaf weeds with 0.91 plants m-2 is obtained in Shiroudi cultivar and by managing the seeds coating of this cultivar with calcium chloride. The highest seedling length and weight vigor indices are obtained with 3559 and 137 in Shiroudi cultivar under weeding management, respectively. Results show that seed coating improves the seed yield of rice cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On of the obstacles that resulted in a decrease in palm oil production was the presence of weeds. Controlling need to be done to suppress weed growth. Controlling using a mixture of methyl methulfuron herbicide and acetic acid herbicide is on way to weed control. This research was conducted in Lampung State Polytechnic. This study used a factorial randomized block design with 2 factor and each treatment combination was repeated 3 times. The first factor is the methyl methulfuron herbicide 20% with 3 level doses of 0 g.ha-1, 45 g,ha-1, and 75 g. ha-1 second factor is acetic acid herbicide 20% with 3 level doses of 0 ml.ha-1, 225.000 ml.ha-1, and 315 ml.ha-1. the result showed that the combination of methyl methulfuron herbicide 75 g.ha-1 and acetic acid herbicide 315.000 ml.ha-1 effective weed dry weight up to 5.50 grams at 5 WAA and able to reduce weed cover percent to 8% at 6 WAA. the dominance weed that arises after the application of the methyl methulfuron herbicide and acetic acid is Asystasia gangentica, Paspalum conjugatum , Panicum dichotomyflorum, Stachytarpeta indica, dan Imperata cilindrica.

Introduction Weeds are one of the major reducing factors in tomato production. Cover crops have several features that can inhibit germination and decline emergence and establishment of weeds. The aim of this research was to investigate weed control by using winter cover crop species in production of tomato crops. Materials and Methods The experiment was conducted as split plot based on a randomized complete block design at Sabouri Field, Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center during 2017-2018. Four winter cover crops (WCC) [such as chickling pea (Lathyrus sativus), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and rye (Secale cereale)], irrigation (tilled soil without WCC) and control (tilled soil without irrigation) were considered as main factor and sub plots were two tomato cultivars (8320 and 6515 from FALAT Co.). WCC were converted into mulches in spring. Studied criteria were relative density, density and dry weight of weeds per unit area and number (in three stages such as 30 days after planting time, 50 days after planting time and before planting time) and fruit yield and Brix index in three ripening stages. Results and discussion The results showed that species of weeds controlled varies widely between WCCs. The minimum density and dry weight of weeds were belonged to hairy vetch and rye and the maximum was for control. Hairy vetch and rye are allelopathic with better efficacy against annual dicots than grasses. The simple and interaction effect of WCC and cultivar were significant on fruit number, fruit yield and Brix index. The highest and the lowest yield for the first, second and third ripening stages were observed in hairy vetch and control, respectively. Total yield for 6515 cultivar was 15 percent higher than 8320 cultivar. The highest and the lowest fruit numbers for the first, second and third ripening stages were related to hairy vetch (with 75.31, 37.78 and 22.3 fruits.m-2) and control (with 54.33, 22.78 and 8.85 fruits.m-2), respectively. Brix index for 8320 cultivar was higher than 6515 cultivar. Conclusion In general, annual, biennial or perennial weeds are suppressed by WCCs. This research indicate that WCCs could be used successfully in integrated weed management to decline weed infestation in tomato production.

Controversial issues have been raised regarding the use of plastic mulches, as they can have a destructive effect on agricultural production systems and because of the reliance on fossil fuels for the manufacturing. Investigating the use of organic materials as alternatives to black plastic mulch is thus crucial to enhance both the productivity and the sustainability of agricultural systems. A field experiment was carried out in three years, assessing the efficacy of several organic mulch materials, in comparison with black plastic mulch, for suppressing weeds in tomato production. The results showed that, mulching with shredded date leaves + sawdust, had the highest inhibiting impact in reducing the total weed density by approximately up to 31.3 weeds m-2 at 70 days after transplanting in all three years. The highest marketable yield of the tomatoes was obtained for plants grown with shredded date leaves + sawdust mulch in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Additionally, mulching with coco fibre, sawdust, wheat straw + sawdust, corn residue + sawdust and wood chips + sawdust resulted in similar values for marketable yield as the black plastic. The results revealed that shredded date leaves + sawdust could be a practical alternative to the use of black plastic in the production of processing tomatoes. The use of wheat straw + sawdust, barley straw + sawdust, rice straw + sawdust, corn residue + sawdust, coco fibre + sawdust, sawdust and especially coco fibre, as replacements for black plastic, would be rational options when there is no access to shredded date leaves + sawdust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weed menace is very prominent in wheat sown after the harvesting of rice in rice-wheat cropping system. An experiment involving four crop establishment methods and six weed management practices was undertaken in a splitplot design with three replications at the Research Farm of Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. The residue-based crop establishment methods were found most effective in minimising density and dry weight of weeds. Besides minimising weeds, the residuebased crop establishment methods also proved better for yield attributes, yield and gross returns. Among different herbicidal treatments, the mix application of mesosulfuron+ iodosulfuron adjudged superior recorded lowest density and dry weight of weeds with highest yield attributes, grain and straw yield (3854 and 5592 kg/ha) and economics attributes. Based on the obtained results, it is said in the conclusion that residue-based crop establishment methods and mix application of mesosulfuron+iodosulfuron was best in managing weed and enhancing yield and economics of wheat in the eastern India.

Introduction Interference weed with crop is a major concern for production in croplands particularly where modern agricultural practices such as mechanical weeding and the application of herbicides are limited. At present, the aim of weed management is to keep weed population at an acceptable level rather than to keep crop totally free of weeds. Among the weed control methods, the chemical control is the easiest one of the recent origins, as well the most successful alternative method. Materials and methods Field experiments were conducted at Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran (32 0 3´ N, 480 50´ E) during winters of 2012-2013 in order to evaluate the effect of sulfosulfuron and sulfosulfuron plus metsulfuron-methyl at 30 and 45 g a.i. ha-1, respectively, and wheat seed rate at 180, 200 and 220 kg ha-1 on weed control. Experiments were carry out in a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement and four replicates. The plot size was 6 m × 2 m. The soil was a clay loam texture, pH 7.4 and 0.6 % organic matter content. In the experimental site, the 30-year average annual rainfall is 321.4 mm, daily average annual air temperature is minimum and maximum 9.5 °C and 46.3 °C, respectively. Wheat cv. Chamran was planted in the first fortnight of November. Seedbed preparation consisted of moldboard plowing, disking and leveling. A basal fertilizer rate of 125 kg ha-1 N (form of urea (46% N)), 75 kg ha-1 P2O5 (diammonium phosphate (18% N; 46% P2O5)), and 60 kg K2O ha-1 (sulfate of potash (50% K2O)) was applied. The whole P and K and half of N were applied at sowing. The remaining half of N was top dressed with the irrigation at the booting stage. Results and Discussion As the crop population brings competition for limited resources with the weeds, we tested different seeding rates to increase crop plant density as a measure to control weeds. The weed population was significantly affected by seed rate. In general, there was an inverse relationship between weed density (p

In order to study chemical weed control in cycloxydim tolerant maize (CTM) using cycloxydim herbicide, an experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2014. Treatments included conventional corn herbicides application (Nicosulforun, Foramsulfuron, Eradican and 2, 4-D + MCPA) in their recommended doses and combined treatment of cycloxydim + (dicamba + tritosulfuron) at their recommended and reduced doses which were used as split and complete application. Results showed that application of combined treatment of cycloxydim + (dicamba + tritosulfuron) with more than 150 g a.i. ha-1 was more effective in weeds control as compared with other herbicide treatments. The highest weed control was observed in cycloxidim application at 300 and 150 g a.i. ha-1 in 3-4 leaf stage of corn plus application of dicamba + tritosulfuron at 100 + 50 g a.i. ha-1 in 5-6 leaf stage of corn, leading to 85% decrease in weed density and biomass. The lowest weed control was observed in Eradican application at the rate of 4.1 kg a.i. ha-1 + 2,4- D + MCPA 1012 g a.i. ha-1 at 5-6 leaves stage of corn, as it led to only 55% weed control. The effect of herbicide application treatments on corn grain yield and biomass were not significant, however the highest and the lowest yield were observed in above mentioned treatments, respectively. It could be concluded that application of cycloxidim in CTM, particularly when sustainable weed management and weed seed bank management and environmental hazards of chemical weed control are concerned, is recommended.

Introduction Broad bean (Vicia faba, L.) is grown and consumed principally in developing countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Farmers often consider weeds to be the major biological constraint to growing legume crops successfully. Chemical control of weeds became widespread in the world because it brings about rapid and desirable control of weeds; and today chemical weed control is one of the most popular methods of controlling weeds. Weed interference in dry bean can reduce seed yield as much as 83%. There is limited number of post emergence herbicides available for broad bean production. More research is needed to identify POST herbicides that provide broadleaves weed control in broad beans. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of some broadleaved herbicides applied POST at the proposed manufacturer’s recommended rate and to assess broad bean yield response to these herbicides since no information is available in the literature on these chemicals. Materials & Methods Field experiment was conducted in 2011-2012 at the Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran (320 3´ N, 480 50´ E). The experiment was performed in randomized complete block design with four replications. Treatment consisted of 1) Basagran (bentazon) SL 48% 1.5 Lha-1 + Haloxyfop-R-methyl (super gallant) EC 10.8% 0.6 Lha-1 2) Bentazon SL 48% 1.5 Lha-1 + Sethoxydim (nabo-S) OEC 12.5% 1.5 Lha-1 3) Bentazon SL 48% 1.5 Lha-1 + Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (whip super) EC 12% 0.7 Lha-1 4) Imazthapyr(pursuit) SL 10% 0.6 Lha-1 5) Pursuit SL 10% 0.4 applied POST, with two control plots weed-free and weed-infested throughout the crop cycle, respectively. Plots were maintained weed free by cultivation and hand hoeing as required to eliminate the confounding effect of weed interference. Bean shoot dry weight was determined by cutting plants at the soil surface from 1m of row per plot. Plants were dried at 75 0C to constant moisture and then weighed. Broad bean height was measured for 10 plants in each plot 5 WAT and averaged. Broad bean was considered mature when 90% of the pods in the untreated control had turned from green to a golden color. Beans were harvested from each plot, weight and seed moisture content were recorded, and seed yields were adjusted to 13% moisture. Data were analyzed as an RCBD using PROC MIXED in SAS 9.2. The comparison of means was conducted by Duncan method at 1 and 5% probability level. Results & Discussion Herbicide treatments applied to broad bean resulted in significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction in weed biomass and density relative to the untreated control (Table1, 2). The blend of Bentazon+Nobo-S and Pursuit with the dose of 0.6 Lha-1 has been more successful in the control of weed than other treatments, and has decreased the weed biomass by over %98.7 in compare to weedy check. Other studies have found that 50 g ai ha-1 of imazethapyr (pursuit) applied post emergence will provide season-long control of broad leaf weed in pinto beans. There was no statistical difference in weed control between pursuit applied alone or tank-mixed of Bentazon with Nobo-S (Table 3). The least level of control were observed in blend of Bentazon+Whip super and pursuit with the dose of 0.4 Lha-1(Table 4). Weed management practitioners must adjust pursuit herbicide doses based on weed species composition. Among experimental treatments there was a significant difference in terms of impact on the density of weed (Table 1). Mean comparison of treatments showed that pursuit with the dose of 0.6 Lha-1 decreased the density of weed by 66.2%. Seed yield was equal in all POST herbicide treatments, and there was no statistical difference in seed yield among herbicide treatments. The lowest and highest seed yield recorded 2403 and 2545 kg ha−1 in tank-mixed of Bentazon+Super gallant and pursuit with the dose of 0.6 Lha-1, respectively (Table 4). In the weedy treatment seed yield was 1494.9 kg ha−1, and on hoeing treatment it was 3239 kg ha−1 (Table 4). Because the highest yield of herbicide treatments was only 78% of the hoeing treatment, it is likely that more efficient weed management programs can be developed. Higher seed yield in herbicide treated plots in compare to weedy check, may be an outcome of efficient weed control achieved there. These results are in conformation with those of some researchers who reported that herbicides offer sizeable increase in crop productivity corresponding to their weed control spectrum. Conclusions It is concluded that the most effective herbicide treatment was pursuit with the dose of 0.6 Lha-1, which provided maximum reduction in total weed dry matter. However, all herbicide treatments increased broad bean biological and seed yield as compared with the weedy check.

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of sowing methods and deficit irrigation on weed dynamics, yield and water-use efficiency (WUE) of the maize–cowpea system during the summer and monsoon seasons, respectively. The field experiment was carried out for two years (2015 and 2016) using a split design with three replicates under irrigated (maize) and rainfed (cowpea) conditions on vertisols of a semi-arid region. Treatments included three sowing methods [i.e., broad bed and furrow (BBF), corrugated furrow (CF) and ridges and furrow (RF)] and four irrigation levels [i.e., irrigation once in 10 days (I10D), irrigation at 40% (I40), at 50% (I50) and at 60% (I60) depletion]. The results indicated that, regardless of weed flora (monocots, dicots and sedges), the RF method produced higher weed density (2.09–2.98 No. m−2) compared to CF (2.00–2.80 No. m−2) and BBF (1.85–2.64 No. m−2) in maize at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS). The RF method with irrigation at I40 and I50 recorded significantly higher weed density, followed by the CF and BBF method. A similar trend was also observed with dry weight of weeds (monocot; 24.19%, dicot; 25.52%, and sedges; 29.80%) in maize at 30 and 60 DAS. Higher weed density and dry weight of weeds in the RF method with I40 was due to higher soil moisture availability and higher nutrient uptake due to larger lateral wetting of the soil and greater water use (29.27%). However, the BBF method favoured the growth of weeds (9.33–16.60%) in cowpea at 55 DAS and coped under rain-fed situation over CF and RF. The CF with moderate depletion (I50) method produced significantly higher maize equivalent yield (MEY) of cowpea (10,000 kg ha−1) with considerable reduction in the total water usage (19.33%). Therefore, under a water scarcity situation, growers can practice CF and I50 for higher yield and WUE of maize–cowpea sequence cropping.

A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of herbicides and integrated nutrient managements on weed dynamics, NPK removal and yield of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during 2009 and 2010. The results revealed that the pendimethalin fb quizalofop-p-ethyl had significantly marked potential to minimize the weed dynamics of Chenopodium album, Melilotus alba, Melilotus indica and Cyperus rotundus significantly, resulted in marked reduction on total weed density (41.48 and 41.11 nos/m), weed dry weight (45.62 and 44.68 g/m) and weed index at all stages of crop growth during 2009 and 2010, respectively and showed higher weed control efficiency over the alone application of pendimethalin. Recommended dose + 200 kg Wellgro Soil (Dust) minimized broad leaves weeds (BLWs) over rest of the fertility levels but at par with RD + 300 kg Wellgro Soil (Dust) in respect of BLWs weed density that resulted in enhanced weed index due to higher weed control efficiency over rest of the fertility levels during both the years of study. Significantly lower NPK removal by weeds at harvest recorded with pendimethalin fb quizalofop-p-ethyl under recommended dose + 200 kg Wellgro Soil (Dust), though remained at par with recommended dose + 300 kg Wellgro Soil (Dust).

Field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2017 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to assess the impact of post emergence application of non-chemical formulations on yield and economics in maize. Lower density and dry weight of all the three types of weeds viz., grasses, sedges and broad leaved weeds were recorded at 20 DAS in plots treated with vinegar 20%, followed by traditional formulation @ 10 l ha-1 (Cow urine + Lemon fruit + Terminalia chebula). At later stage of observation hand weeding twice on 20 and 45 DAS recorded lower density and dry weight due to efficient removal of weeds manually. Among different non-chemical formulations higher grain and stover yield, net return and B: C ratio were obtained in post emergence application of vinegar 20% + hand weeding on 45 DAS followed by early post emergence application of traditional formulation @ 10 l ha-1 (Cow urine + Lemon fruit + Terminalia chebula) + hand weeding on 45 DAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted during Kharif 2014 and 2015 at Agricultural Research Station, Dhadesugur, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India, to know the herbicide sequence for weed management in direct seeded rice. The dominant weeds in direct seeded rice were Echinochloa sp, Panicum repens, Cynodon doctylon, Leptochloa chinensis, Bracharia sp. Ludwigia parviflora, Commelena sp. and Cyperus sp. Pooled data revealed that, application of pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10 % WP at 20 g a.i./ha as pre-emergent herbicide followed by the application of Bispyribac sodium 10 % SC @ 250 ml/ha at 20 to 25 days after sowing as post-emergent herbicide in direct seeded rice was most effective in controlling of grasses, broad leaf weeds and sedges and increased the rice grain yield (5583 kg/ha) without any phytotoxic effect and which was onpar with the application of Pendimethalin 30 EC @ 1 kg a.i. /ha as pre-emergent herbicide followed by one hand weeding at 30 days after sowing and weed free check .Therefore, the application of pre emergent herbicides followed by the post emergent herbicide application can reduce the weed problem in direct seeded rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study chemical weed control in cycloxydim tolerant maize (CTM) using cycloxydim herbicide, an experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2014. Treatments included conventional corn herbicides application (Nicosulforun, Foramsulfuron, Eradican and 2, 4-D + MCPA) in their recommended doses and combined treatment of cycloxydim + (dicamba + tritosulfuron) at their recommended and reduced doses which were used as split and complete application. Results showed that application of combined treatment of cycloxydim + (dicamba + tritosulfuron) with more than 150 g a.i. ha-1 was more effective in weeds control as compared with other herbicide treatments. The highest weed control was observed in cycloxidim application at 300 and 150 g a.i. ha-1 in 3-4 leaf stage of corn plus application of dicamba + tritosulfuron at 100 + 50 g a.i. ha-1 in 5-6 leaf stage of corn, leading to 85% decrease in weed density and biomass. The lowest weed control was observed in Eradican application at the rate of 4.1 kg a.i. ha-1 + 2,4- D + MCPA 1012 g a.i. ha-1 at 5-6 leaves stage of corn, as it led to only 55% weed control. The effect of herbicide application treatments on corn grain yield and biomass were not significant, however the highest and the lowest yield were observed in above mentioned treatments, respectively. It could be concluded that application of cycloxidim in CTM, particularly when sustainable weed management and weed seed bank management and environmental hazards of chemical weed control are concerned, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were conducted to study the effect of herbicide mixtures viz., bispyribac sodium + metamifop and penoxsulam + cyhalofop butyl on nutrient availability in soil, nutrient uptake by crop, nutrient removal by weeds and grain yield of direct seeded rice at Upanniyoor Padashekaram, Nemom block, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Eleven weed control treatments along with weedy check were laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Results revealed that the lowest weed density, weed dry weight and nutrient uptake by weeds were observed in penoxsulam + cyhalofop butyl @ 135 g ha-1. Compared to weedy check, herbicide treatments reduced the N removal by weeds to the tune of 89.04 to 99.22 per cent and 89.67 to 99.36 per cent respectively at 60 DAS during Kharif 2014 and Rabi 2014-15 seasons. Phosphorus removal by weeds has been reduced to the tune of 70.59 to 98.04 per cent and K removal has been reduced to the tune of 86.22 to 99.42 per cent respectively at 60 DAS during Kharif and Rabi seasons. Among the different doses of bispyribac sodium + metamifop, its higher dose (90 g ha-1) was more effective in reducing the weed density and dry weight and nutrient depletion by weeds. Due to significant reduction in weed density and weed dry weight, penoxsulam + cyhalofop butyl @ 135, 130 and 125 g ha-1, bispyribac sodium + metamifop @ 90, 80 and 70 g ha-1 and penoxsulam applied alone recorded higher availability of N, P and K in soil and uptake of these nutrients by the rice crop. The weed management practices enhanced the grain yield from 4285 to 8295 kg ha-1 during first crop season and from 4240 to 8889 kg ha-1 during second crop season with 48.34 and 52.30 per cent increase in yield respectively over weedy check. During Kharif 2014, penoxsulam + cyhalofop butyl at 130 g ha-1 recorded the highest grain yield which was statistically on par with penoxsulam + cyhalofop butyl at 135 g ha-1 and 125 g ha-1. However, during Rabi 2014-15, penoxsulam + cyhalofop butyl at 135 g ha-1 recorded the highest grain yield which was significantly superior to all other treatments. Hence, post emergence application of penoxsulam + cyhalofop butyl @ 135 and 130 g ha-1 on 15 DAS can be recommended for the better control of weeds, nutrient availability and nutrient uptake by the crop and higher grain yield in wet direct seeded rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted during rabi season of 2010-2011 and 2011-12 at Pantnagar in tarai soil of Uttarakhand to study the effect of different herbicides on plant growth, weed dynamics, nutrient uptake and yield of dwarf fieldpea. Results revealed that uncontrolled weeds caused 27.3 and 39.4 per cent reduction in grain yield of dwarf fieldpea during first and second year, respectively as compared to two hand weedings done at 20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS). Among the chemical treatments, minimum nutrient removal of 3.0 kg N,0.5 kg P and 3.3 kg K ha-1 by weeds was recorded under pendimethalin 1.0kg ha-1 (PE)+ imazethapyr 0.05 kg ha-1 (POE,30 DAS) as against 11.4 kg N, 1.96 kg P and 12.6 kg K ha-1, respectively in weedy check Two hand weedings done at 20 and 40 DAS, which remained at par with pendimethalin1.0 kg ha-1 (PE) + imazethapyr 0.05 kg ha-1 (POE, 30 DAS) and pendimethalin 1.0kg ha-1 (PE) + quizalofop ethyl 0.05kg ha-1 (POE, 30 DAS) caused significant reduction in weed dry weight and increased the value of plant height, number of leaves per plant and dry matter accumulation per plant as compared to weedy check. These treatments produced 27.1, 23.1 and 16.0 per cent more number of pods/plant and yielded 50, 40 and 35.7 per cent higher grain yield, respectively over weedy check. The maximum weed control efficiency was computed under two hand weedings followed by pendimethalin 1.0 kg ha-1 (PE)+ imazethapyr 0.05kg ha-1 (POE, 30 DAS) and pendimethalin 1.0kg ha-1 (PE)+ quizalofop ethyl 0.05 kg ha-1 (POE, 30 DAS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field investigation was carried out during winter seasons of 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 at Agricultural Research Station, Gulbarga (Karnataka) to evaluate the effect of pre and post emergence herbicides on weeds and productivity of chickpea cv. JG-11. Ten treatments were tested in randomized block design with three replications. Among the herbicidal treatments, pendimethalin 38% CS 0.75 kg a.i ha-1PE + hand weeding (HW) at 30-35 days after sowing (DAS) and pendimethalin 30% EC 0.75 kg a.i ha-1+ imazethapyr 2% 1.0 kg a.i ha-1 PE + one hoeing at 30-35 DAS recorded significantly higher seed yield (1198 kg ha-1), net returns (Rs. 25107 ha-1) and B:C ratio (2.10) and lower weed dry weight (11.3 g m-2) and higher weed control efficiency (83%) than all other herbicidal treatments except two hand weedings at 20 and 40 DAS. It may be inferred from the present investigation that these herbicidal treatments could be used effectively as an alternative for controlling weeds and obtaining optimum seed yield of chickpea under rainfed conditions of Karnataka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to determine the critical periods of weed control in dry bean, an experiment was conducted in 2011 at Agricultural and Natural Research Center of Hamadan, Iran. The experiment was a randomized complete blocks design with 12 treatments and 3 replications. Treatments were divided into two groups. The first group included weed interference periods until 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 days after emergence of dry bean. The second group included weed control periods until aforementioned periods. Control plots consisted of two treatments that kept weed free and weed infested throughout the growing season. The planted bean cultivar was Naz, which is a creeping cultivar. Seeds were hand-planted in June 2011. Results showed that among the weeds, the maximum importance value of weed (IVW) was related to lamb's quarters and red-root amaranth (36.66 and 30.11%, respectively). Increase in duration of weed-infested periods caused an ascending trend for dry weight of weeds, while their density increased at first and decreased when it reached at maximum point. Taking 5% and 10% acceptable yield loss for dry beans, the critical period of weed control was determined as 20 to 68 days after emergence (equivalent to V2 to R1 stages) and from 22 to 55 days after emergence (equivalent to V2 to V6 stages), respectively. Therefore, weeds of dry bean must be controlled in these periods

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of age of seedlings, cultivars and weed management on weed dynamics, NPK removal and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under SRI at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during 2010 and 2011 in split-plot design replicated thrice. The tender aged seedling (10 days) and hybrid rice cultivar PHB 71 had significantly marked potential to minimize the weed dynamics of grassy weeds (Echinochloa spp. and Cynodon dactylon), sedges (Fimbristylis miliacea and Cyperus spp.) and BLWs (Ammania baccifera and Ludwigia parviflora) significantly that resulted in marked reduction on total weed density, weed dry weight, weed index resulted in higher weed control efficiency over older seedling (15 days) of NDR 359. Four times cono-weeding at 10, 20, 30 and 40 DAT minimised grassy weeds over rest of the weeding treatments, but at par with pre and post-emergence application of pretilachlor + bispyribac-Na herbicides in respect of sedges and BLWs with total weed density that resulted in improving weed index due to higher weed control efficiency over 15 days old seedlings and other weed management treatment during both the years of study. Similarly, transplanting of younger seedlings (10 days) of PHB 71 produced significantly higher rice yield under 4 times cono-weeding closely followed by pre and post-emergence application of pretilachlor + bispyribac-Na. Significantly lower NPK removal by weeds at 45 DAT recorded with 10 days old seedling of PHB-71 under 4 times cono-weeding at 10, 20, 30 and 40 DAT (W4), though remained at par with pre and post-emergence application of pretilachlor + bispyribac-Na.

In direct seeded rice (DSR), weeds are the major biotic constraint in improving the productivity of rice. Acute labour shortage and hike in wage rate force the farmers to rely more on herbicides for weed management in DSR. But the continuous use of same herbicide or herbicides with similar mode of action leads to shift in weed flora and resistance development in weeds. One of the ways to overcome these problems is the use of herbicide mixtures. Hence, field experiments were conducted for two seasons kharif 2014 and rabi 2014-15 to assess the bio-efficacy of bispyribac sodium+metamifop, a post-emergence herbicide mixture for broad spectrum weed control in DSR. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with seven treatments and three replications. The treatments comprised four doses of bispyribac sodium+metamifop viz., 60, 70, 80 and 90 g/ha, bispyribac sodium @ 25 g/ha, hand weeding twice and weedy check. Schoenoplectus juncoides, Cyperus iria, Cyperus difformis, Fimbristylis miliacea, Isachne miliacea, Ludwigia perennis, Limnocharis flava, Sphenoclea zeylanica, Marsilea quadrifolia, Bergia capensis, Commelina diffussa and Monochoria vaginalis were the major weeds in the experimental field. Among the three morphological groups of weeds, sedges was the most predominant one in the experimental site. Results revealed that compared to bispyribac sodium @ 25 g/ha, bispyribac sodium+metamifop @ 70, 80 and 90 g/ha was found more effective in reducing the density and dry weight of weeds. Application of bispyribac sodium+metamifop @ 90 g/ha registered the highest weed control efficiency of 96.62%. Grain yield was also significantly influenced by the weed control treatments. The highest grain yield (8051 kg/ha) and net returns (Rs. 86238/ha) were recorded in bispyribac sodium+metamifop @ 90 g/ha and it was statistically comparable with the lower doses of 80 and 70 g/ha. Bispyribac sodium+metamifop @ 90, 80 and 70 g/ha was significantly superior to hand weeding twice and bispyribac sodium applied @ 25 g/ha in terms of net returns and B : C ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were conducted during 2013 and 2014, at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) to study the effect of pre-emergence application of Calotropis gigantea leaf extract spray on weed control in cotton. The weed management practices consisted of Calotropis gigantea leaf extract spray at three concentrations (10, 20 and 30%) in combination with power weeder operation twice and manual weeding twice. The results revealed that pre-emergence application of Calotropis gigantea at 30 % concentration followed by hand weeding at 40 DAS recorded lower weed density and dry weight and increased the yield in irrigated cotton [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common bean is an important food and cash crop in eastern Ethiopia. However, its yield is constrained by weeds. Therefore, this study was conducted in 2012 main cropping season at Haramaya and Hirna research fields, eastern Ethiopia, to determine the effect of plant spacing and weeding frequency on weeds, yield components and yield of common bean. The experiment comprised 18 treatment combinations with three inter- and intra-row plant spacing, respectively, (30 cm x 10 cm, 30 cm x 15 cm, 40 cm x 10 cm) and six weeding frequencies (one weeding by hand-hoeing two weeks after crop emergence, one weeding by hand-hoeing three weeks after crop emergence, one weeding by hand-hoeing four weeks after crop emergence, two weeding by hand-hoeing two and five weeks after crop emergence, weed-free check, weedy check). The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times per treatment. It was observed that broad-leaved weed species were dominant at both sites with relative density of 61.2 and 73.2% at Haramaya and Hirna, respectively. Interaction of sites, plant spacing and weeding frequencies significantly affected weed density and dry weight. Days to flowering, days to physiological maturity, plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, hundred seed weight, grain yield, aboveground dry biomass, and harvest index significantly affected by weeding frequencies. Combination of plant spacing of 30 cm x 10 cm and two weeding by hand-hoeing two and five weeks after crop emergence significantly reduced the weed dry weight by 95.3 and 95.8% at Haramaya and Hirna, respectively, as compared to the same plant spacing with no weeding throughout the season. Common bean plants weeded by hand-hoeing twice two and five weeks after crop emergence flowered significantly earlier next to plants kept weed-free. Significantly higher number of pods per plant, grain yield (2984.0 kg ha-1) and aboveground dry biomass were obtained at Hirna than at Haramaya. However, significantly, higher numbers of seeds per pod and harvest index were obtained at Haramaya than at Hirna. Significantly higher grain yield (2612.2 kg ha-1) and (2718.8 kg ha-1) were obtained from one weeding by hand-hoeing two weeks after crop emergence and two weeding by hand-hoeing two and five weeks after crop emergence next to weed-free check, respectively. However, the economic analysis revealed that the highest net benefit of 15924 ETB ha-1 was obtained in response to combining the spacing of 30 cm x 10 cm with twice weeding by hand-hoeing two and five weeks after crop emergence. It could be concluded that planting common bean plants at the spacing of 30 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants and weeding the crop by hand-hoeing twice at two and five weeks after crop emergence resulted in optimum growth and grain yield of the crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai during late rabi 2011 - 2012 to elucidate the effect of brown manuring on weed dynamics, available soil moisture and growth attributes of irrigated maize. The results revealed greater reduction in dryweight of grasses, sedges, broad leaved weeds and total weeds in PE alachlor 1.0 kg ha -1 + brown manuring at all the stages of crop and was at par with PE alachlor 1.0 kg ha -1 +daincha as intercrop with in-situ incorporation on 35 DAS. Available soil moisture content, was more with PE alachlor 1.0 kg ha-1 + brown manuring followed by PE alachlor 1.0 kg ha-1 +daincha as intercrop with in-situ incorporation irrespective of depth of soils and stages of crop. The above two treatments also had equal effect in enhancing the growth attributes such as plant height, plant DMP and LAI at 20 and 40 DAS. Whereas, at 60 DAS, PE alachlor 1.0 kg ha -1 + brown manuring was superior in increasing growth attributes of irrigated maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A 2-year field study was conducted to assess the effect of weed competition on the performance of upland rice cultivars in the savannas of Nigeria. A split-plot design was used with three weeding levels as the main plot treatments and the rice cultivars CG 14, ITA 150, WAB 56-104, NERICA1, NERICA2, and NERICA4 as the subplots. Grain yield, spikelets plant−1 and days to flowering differed significantly in plots weeded once or twice. Weed dry weight was negatively correlated with grain yield. Grain yield in all cultivars was over 50% less in the unweeded plots than in plots weeded once or twice. At Sabon-Gari, NERICA1 (unweeded or weeded twice), and NERICA4 (weeded once) were the most profitable. At Tilla, NERICA4 was the most profitable when weeded once or twice. Results showed that, given the profitability levels under the different weeding regimes, farmers would have higher marginal returns if they grew NERICA1 at Sabon-Gari and NERICA4 at Tilla and weed their rice plots twice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An experiment was conducted during kharif 2011 and 2012 to study the effect of pre and post emergence herbicides on weed control in blackgram. In this study, application of Pendimethalin 1.0 kg a.i. ha-1 as PE (3 DAS) + Imazethapyr @ 40 g a.i. ha-1 as POE + Quizalofop ethyl @ 37.5 g a.i. ha-1 as POE (20 DAS) (T12) provided a broad spectrum of weed control by significantly reducing weed density and dry weight at 40 DAS and resulted in significantly higher weed control efficiency. Pendimethalin 1.0 kg a.i. ha-1 as PE (3 DAS) + Imazethapyr @ 40 g a.i. ha-1 as POE + Quizalofop ethyl @ 37.5 g a.i. ha-1 as POE (20 DAS) (T12) recorded significant improvement in plant height, yield attributes like No. of pods plant-1, No. of seeds pod-1, Test seed weight and significantly higher grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of sowing methods and deficit irrigation on weed dynamics, yield and water-use efficiency (WUE) of the maize–cowpea system during the summer and monsoon seasons, respectively. The field experiment was carried out for two years (2015 and 2016) using a split design with three replicates under irrigated (maize) and rainfed (cowpea) conditions on vertisols of a semi-arid region. Treatments included three sowing methods [i.e., broad bed and furrow (BBF), corrugated furrow (CF) and ridges and furrow (RF)] and four irrigation levels [i.e., irrigation once in 10 days (I10D), irrigation at 40% (I40), at 50% (I50) and at 60% (I60) depletion]. The results indicated that, regardless of weed flora (monocots, dicots and sedges), the RF method produced higher weed density (2.09–2.98 No. m−2) compared to CF (2.00–2.80 No. m−2) and BBF (1.85–2.64 No. m−2) in maize at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS). The RF method with irrigation at I40 and I50 recorded significantly higher weed density, followed by the CF and BBF method. A similar trend was also observed with dry weight of weeds (monocot; 24.19%, dicot; 25.52%, and sedges; 29.80%) in maize at 30 and 60 DAS. Higher weed density and dry weight of weeds in the RF method with I40 was due to higher soil moisture availability and higher nutrient uptake due to larger lateral wetting of the soil and greater water use (29.27%). However, the BBF method favoured the growth of weeds (9.33–16.60%) in cowpea at 55 DAS and coped under rain-fed situation over CF and RF. The CF with moderate depletion (I50) method produced significantly higher maize equivalent yield (MEY) of cowpea (10,000 kg ha−1) with considerable reduction in the total water usage (19.33%). Therefore, under a water scarcity situation, growers can practice CF and I50 for higher yield and WUE of maize–cowpea sequence cropping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]