Pulses are the important crop after cereals and is the cheapest source of dietary protein. After the Green revolution, the production of pulses in India remain stagnant over the years due to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the various biotic stresses, weeds are the major one which causes severe yield loss in pulses. Due to initial slow growth of pulses, weeds emerge first and gain competitive advantage over the crop and exhibit smothering effect on crop. Moreover, major area of pulses (84 per cent) are under rainfed condition and grown in combination with non-legume crop. As a result, pulses are subjected to various types of biotic and abiotic stresses. Weeds besides causing direct loss in yield also hinder farm activities and serve as alternate host to many pests. Weed management in pulses is essential to bring the weeds below the threshold level to maximize the seed yield and quality. The literature regarding the importance of weed management in pulses, weed flora, critical period of crop weed competition and different weed management methods of weed control are collected and presented in this paper.Weeds are the predominant biological constraint in pulse production due to the slow initial growth of the crop. Strategies’ of weed management depends on the weed competition, types of weeds present and weed control method adopted. In general, critical period of weed competition for short duration pulses is up to 30 days and for long duration pulse crops it is up to 60 days. The major three types of weeds viz., grasses, broad leaved weeds and sedges were found in association with pulses. Intensity of weed infestation varies with agroecological conditions and crop management practices followed. A system approach is necessary to maintain the weed population below the economic threshold level thereby reducing the yield loss. Integrated weed management (IWM) which has been proved to be more effective than any single method in alleviating the buildup of weeds in pulse crop.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is the most important leguminous crop raised as pulse as well as a vegetable crop in India. The slow initial growth and wider spacing necessitate weed control in the early stages of crop growth. The critical period of crop weed competition in cowpea was 20 to 30 DAS. Season-long crop weed competition resulted in a yield reduction of 40 to 90 per cent in cowpea depending on the intensity of weed infestation, weed flora, season, location, and the climatic condition prevailed. Mulching, manual weeding and stale seedbed are the different cultural methods which can be adopted for weed control in cowpea. Chemical method of weed control is the cheapest and economically viable option for weed control in cowpea. Both Pre-emergence herbicides viz., pendimethalin, diclosulam and imazethapyr and post-emergence herbicides viz., imazethapyr, quizalofop-p-ethyl can be used for weed control in cowpea. Studies revealed that pre-emergence application of herbicide (imazethapyr/pendimethalin or diclosulam) followed by manual weeding or post-emergence application of herbicides (quizalofop-p-ethyl or imazethapyr) or mulching followed by post-emergence application of herbicides (quizalofop-p-ethyl or imazethapyr) were found to be more effective for the broad-spectrum weed control in cowpea. The integrated approach of weed control has resulted in a higher yield, net returns and B: C ratio in cowpea.

No abstract