Integrated Weed Management in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2006-2007 at Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to evaluate the different weed control treatments in terms of weed management, growth and yield of lentil. The soil of the experimental site was sandy loam in texture having organic carbon (0.47%), available N (210 kg/ha), available P (15 kg/ha) and available K (185 kg/ha) with pH 8.2. The experiment consisting of ten treatments viz. weedy check, weed free, one hand weeding at 30 DAS, pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg. a.i. ha-1 (PE), pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg. a.i. ha-1 (PE) + one hand weeding at 30 DAS, pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg. a.i. ha-1 (PE) + quizalofop-ethyle @ 50 g. a.i. ha-1 (POE), quizalofop-ethyle @ 50 g.a.i.ha-1 (POE), quizalofop-ethyle@ 50 g. a.i. ha-1 (POE)+ one hand weeding at 45 DAS, 25 per cent higher seed rate and 25 per cent higher-seed rate+ one hand weeding at 30 DAS were laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Total 12 weed species were found in experimental field. Chenopodium album and Convolvulus aNensis was the dominant weeds in the experimental field which constitute 36.22, 36.20, 32.11, 26.76 and 31 .89, 30.52, 30.50, 24.88 per cent of the total weed population at 30, 60, 90 days stage and at harvest, respectively. Weed control treatments reduced the density and dry weight of weeds over weedy check at all stages of crop growth. Quizalofop-ethyle @ 50 g. a.i. ha-1 (POE) + one hand weeding at 45 DAS, pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg. a.i. ha-1 (PE) + one hand weeding at 30 DAS and one hand weeding at 30 DAS recorded at par values of yield attributing characters (pods/plant and grain/pod) with weed free condition. Test weight remained unaffected due to different treatments. Quizalofop-ethyle @ 50 g. a.i. ha-1 (POE) + one hand weeding at 45 DAS and 25 per cent higher seed rate + one hand weeding at 30 DAS produced at par grain yield with that of weed free condition. The nutrient uptake by crop was the highest in weed free condition followed by Quizalofepethyle@ 50 g. a.i. ha-1 (POE)+ one hand weeding at 45 DAS and 25 per cent higher seed rate + one hand weeding at 30 DAS. The highest net return was under weed free condition but highest benefit cost ratio recorded in Quizalofop-ethyle@ 50 g. a.i. ha-1 (POE) + one hand weeding at 45 DAS.