Vol. 8, Issue 10 (2019)

Author(s):
Sunita Choudhary, Neelam K Chopra and Malchand Jat

Abstract:
A field experiment was carried out during Kharif 2015 at ICAR-NDRI, Karnal to assess the efficacy of nitrogen application and weed management scheduling on weed flora and seed yield of pearlmillet. The experiment was conducted in split plot design consisting of four nitrogen levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha^-1) and six weed management practices with three replications. The pre-emergence (PE) herbicides viz. atrazine and pendimethalin were combined either with hand weeding (HW) or with post-emergence (POE) herbicide halosulfuron to evolve integrated weed management. The major weed flora at experiment site was constituted Digera arvensis, Cyperus rotundus, Commelina benghalensis, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Trienthema monogyana and Echinochloa colonum. The result indicated that nitrogen application significantly improved yield attributes and yield viz. number of spikes plant^-1, spike length, seed weight spike^-1, seed, green and dry fodder yield and lower the total weed density and weed dry weight over control. All the weed management schedules significantly enhanced yield and yield attributes over weedy check. Among the weed management schedules weed free, pendimethalin (PE) fb 1 HW at 25 DAS, atrazine (PE) fb 1 HW at 25 DAS, pendimethalin (PE) fb halosulfuron (POE) at 25 DAS and atrazine (PE) fb 1 HW at 25 DAS showed lower weed population and weed dry weight and weed index and higher weed control efficiency, herbicide efficiency index, crop resistance index and weed management index. Application of pendimethalin (PE) fb halosulfuron (POE) at 25 DAS and atrazine (PE) fb halosulfuron (POE) at 25 DAS recorded significantly lower number of Cyperus rotundus than all other weed management schedules except weed free treatment whereas, pendimethalin (PE) fb 1 HW at 25 DAS, atrazine (PE) fb 1 HW at 25 DAS effectively controlled broadleaf weeds.