WEED DYNAMICS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF CHICKPEA AS AFFECTED BY WEED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Rabi pulses are typically cultivated on marginal cropland with little maintenance. Weed growth has greater space to grow during the initial slow vegetative phase of crop. Crop weed competition results in resource distribution, which significantly reduces crop yield. To understand the effect of different weed management practices on weed dynamics and productivity of chickpea, a field experiment was conducted at Forestry Research Farm, Department of Forestry, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur (MP) during the Rabi season of 2020-21. The field experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with nine treatments and replicated thrice. Nine treatments were pendimethalin at 1000 g/ha, atrazine at 1000 g/ha, oxyflorfen at 100 g/ha, imazethapyr at 900 g/ha, pendimethalin at 500 g/ha + oxyflorfen at 50 g/ha, pendimethalin at 500 g/ha + imazethapyr at 450 g/ha, imazethapyr at 450 g/ha + atrazine at 500 g/ha, including hand weeding at 30 DAS and weedy check. The broad-leaf weeds, Medicago denticulate, Chenopodium album, Vicia sativa (L.) and Anagallis arvensis (L.) were dominant. In the case of grassy weeds, Cyperus rotundus (L.), Cynodon dactylon (Pers.) and Avena fatua (L.) are dominant weeds. Significant reduction in total weed density and dry weight was recorded under the application of pendimethalin at 500 g/ha + imazethapyr at 450 g/ha. In comparison, high values of growth parameters and seed yield were recorded with the application of pendimethalin at 1000 g/ha.