Yield and Growth Attributes of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) as Influenced by Weed Management Practices

Among all agronomical practices of crop cultivation, weed management is a necessary practice for any crop specially the chia being a newly introduced crop, it becomes necessary to study weed dynamics in the crop and find suitable weed management practice to obtain high seed yield and quality of the chia seed. A field experiment was conducted at research farm of Agricultural Research Station, Mandor, Agriculture University, Jodhpur during Rabi season of 2021-22 to find out efficacy of different herbicides on chia (Salvia hispanica L.) under western Rajasthan. The treatments comprised of herbicides namely bentazon 48% SL 500 g ha-1 and 750 g ha-1 (30 DAS as post emergence (PoE), fluazifop-p-butyl 11.1% SL 100 g ha-1 and 200 g ha-1 (30 DAS PoE), sulfentrazone 39.6% SC 50 g ha-1 and 75 g ha-1 as pre emergence (PE), pendimethalin 38.7% CS 200 g ha-1 and 400 g ha-1 (PE), weed free and weedy check were laid out in randomized block design with three replications. It was found that application of bentazon 48% SL 750 g ha-1 recorded significantly higher plant height (75.18 cm), total no. of branches plant-1 (18.16) and dry matter accumulation (82.23 g m-2), seed yield (495 kg ha-1), straw yield (197 kg ha-1), biomass yield (755 kg ha-1) and harvest index (65.56). Among pre-emergence herbicides, sulfentrazone 39.6% SC 75 g ha-1 and pendimethalin 38.7% CS 400 g ha-1 were found statistically equally effective in controlling weeds in chia.