A field experiment was conducted at Agronomy Research Farm, Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Wadura during Rabi seasons of 2021-22 and 2022-23 to study the effect of sequential application of herbicides on weeds and yield of field-pea under temperate conditions. The experiment consisted of 14-treatments which were tested in a complete randomized design replicated thrice. Weeds caused 63.8 and 61.0 per cent reduction in seed yield of field pea during 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. Among the herbicides tested, pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 1.00 kg/ha followed by post-emergence application of imazethapyr 0.125 kg/ha recorded significantly lowest weed biomass, weed index and highest weed control index, field-pea growth and yield attributes, seed and stover yield, and better economics over the rest treatments. Hand weeding recorded higher growth and yield of field pea but it was not cost-effective.
A field experiment was conducted, to study the effect of by weed control measures and nutrient management on growth and yield of fennel, at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Bikaner during the Rabi season of 2021-22. There were 16 treatment combinations with four nutrient managements: control, 75% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), 100% RDF and 125% RDF and four weed control measures: weed free, pre-emergence application (PE) of pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha, post-emergence application (PoE) of oxyfluorfen 50 g/ha at 25 DAS and weedy check. A factorial randomized design with three replications was used. The reduction in weed density, biomass and increase in fennel growth and yield were significantly higher with pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha PE than with oxyfluorfen50 g/ha PoE. Weed-free recorded the highest fennel seed yield, biological yield and net returns while pendimethalin0.75 kg/ha PE recorded the highest B: C ratio. Among nutrient levels, 100% RDF recorded the highest fennel seed yield, biological yield and net returns.
The present study aims to determine ammonia, nitrite, lead (II) and chromium (VI) removal efficiencies of the products developed from aquatic weeds, Ceratophyllum demersum and Hydrilla verticillata, collected from Dal-lake, for the first time, from a variety of aquaculture waters (pond, aquaponics, and ornamental) under controlled conditions, followed by a wet-lab-based large-scale experiment. Aquatic weeds were found to be effective in the removal of ammonia, nitrite, Pb(II), and Cr(VI) from a variety of aquaculture waters, which can be attributed to adsorption and ion exchange of priority pollutants on functional moieties, alkali metals, and alkaline earth metals present in the aquatic weeds. The experimental results showed that ammonia and nitrite removal was effective at pH 7.5, whereas Cr(VI) removal was observed at pH 2 in treatment with 100 mg/L and 200 mg/L of weed. The average lead biosorption observed was 14 mg/g. The removal efficiencies observed were 60-65% for ammonia, 50% for nitrite, 99% for Cr(IV), and 90% for lead. By integrating bioremediation and livelihood generation, this initiative can not only contribute to environmental restoration but also create sustainable opportunities for local communities, fostering economic growth and social well-being. Utilizing aquatic weeds for bioremediation to generate livelihood opportunities for local communities can be an innovative and sustainable approach. Capacity building of the farmers for plant-assisted bioremediation is also suggested, enabling them to effectively integrate these techniques into their aquaculture operations.
In India, guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) is a valuable forage since its introduction during 1793 to increase the forage quality. Lately, it invaded variable environments as weed in crops such as sugarcane and citrus orchards. A total of four participatory research experiments were conducted during spring season using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The objective was to evaluate efficacy of different pre- and post-emergence herbicides to manage M. maximus in sugarcane. The pre-emergence application (PE) of metribuzin 1.4 kg/ha, diuron 1.6 kg/ha, sulfentrazone + clomazone 1.45 kg/ha and post-emergence application (PoE) of 2,4-D sodium salt + metribuzin + pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 2.4 kg/ha and 2,4-D sodium salt + metribuzin + chlorimuron 2.02 kg/ha recorded maximum control of M. maximus at 30, 60 days after application and at harvest. Furthermore, these treatments resulted in significantly higher cane yield and were at par with each other. Multiple cohorts of M. maximus appears in crop up to 5-6 months of planting of sugarcane, and hence, the highest cane yield was observed in weed free, while physical control measures were costly resulting in lower B:C. Thus, this study underscores the importance of integrated weed management practices for the profitable and sustainable control of M. maximus in sugarcane.
A field experiment was conducted during two consecutive Kharif seasons (2022 and 2023) at the Students’ Instructional Farm, Department of Agronomy, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur Uttar Pradesh, India, to study the effect of post-emergence herbicides and plant growth promoters in managing weeds and improve productivity of Kharif maize (Zea mays L.). On the pooled data basis, the application of Amino acid + Humic acid + Sea weed extract 2ml/liter of water recorded significantly highest values of maize growth attributes, viz. plant height, dry weight and leaf area index at 90 days after seeding (DAS) and yield attributes, viz. number of cob/plants, number of grain rows/cob, number of grains/row and seed index along with maize grain yield and harvest index. Among herbicidal treatments, tembotrione at 120 g/ha significantly reduced total weed density, fresh weight and dry weed biomass, and recorded the highest weed control efficiency (85.92%). It also recorded maximum growth attributes, improved yield attributes and higher grain yield, harvest index and benefit-cost ratio. There was no substantial interaction between herbicide treatments and plant growth regulators.
