Weed management in direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa) in central India

A field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with 3 replications at Research Farm, College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), during the rainy (kharif) season of 2019, to evaluate the performance of different herbicides in direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.). The experiment comprised of 2 main plots, viz. rainfed and irrigated, and 8 weed-control treatments, viz. bispyribac sodium at 25 g/ ha, fenoxaprop-p-ethyl at 60 g/ha, fenoxaprop-p-ethyl + penoxsulam at 60 + 26.7 g/ha, cyhalofop + penoxsulam at 135 + 26.7 g/ha, bispyribac sodium + metsulfuron-methyl + chlorimuron ethyl at 25 + 4 g/ha, triafamone + ethoxysulfuron at 40 + 20 g/ha, hand-weeding twice and weedy check, in subplots. The dominant weeds associated with direct-seeded rice experimental field were mainly comprised monocot, viz. jungle rice [Echinochloa colona (L.) Link] and Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], sedge, viz. nutgrass [Cyperus iria (L.)], and dicot weed such as sissoo spinach [Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. ex DC.]. The results indicated that, post-emergence application of bispyribac sodium at 25 g/ha at 20 days after sowing (DAS) recorded the highest weed-control efficiency (87.75%), followed by fenoxaprop-p-ethyl + penoxsulam at 60 + 26.7 g/ha. Higher grain yield (3.09 t/ ha) was recorded with weed-free treatment which was at par with bispyribac sodium at 25 g/ha.