Impact of Various Tillage and Weed Management Options on Wheat Productivity under New Alluvial Zone

Abstract

A B S T R A C TGood tillage practice and improved weed management measure enhance wheat productivity to great extent. Uninterrupted nutrient supply during growth period is pivotal to realize full yield potential of a crop. Weeds, being a serious negative factor in crop production, are responsible for marked losses in crop yields. Control of weeds with integrated effort of tillage combined with herbicides may check the loss of these vital inputs to a great extent. A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 2014 and 2015, under the aegis of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya at AB block farm, Kalyani. The experiment was carried out in a split plot design with four tillage practices including viz. zero tillage, minimum tillage, conventional tillage and surface seeding in main plot, and six weed management practice viz. weedy check, hoeing (18 DAS) + hand weeding (40 DAS), 2, 4 D Na salt (@750 g a.i/ha), metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha), hoeing (18 DAS) + 2, 4 D Na salt (@750 g a.i/ha) and hoeing (18 DAS) + metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha) in subplot, and experiment was replicated thrice. Minimum weed population and dry biomass were recorded in conventional tillage which was at par with minimum tillage with respect to weed population, and significantly lower than surface seeding and zero tillage. Among the various weed management practices, mixed practice of hoeing (18 DAS) + metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha), and alone application of metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha) and 2, 4 D Na salt (@750 g a.i/ha) recorded significantly lower weed population. Hoeing (18 DAS) + hand weeding (40 DAS), registered lowest dry weight of weeds and was at par with the hoeing (18 DAS) + metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha), and significantly better to other set of treatments. Grain and straw yields in conventional and minimum tillage were at par with each other, and significantly better to other. Increase in grain and straw yield of wheat under conventional and minimum tillage enhance 36.76 and 21.16% more grain and 48.94 and 33.33 % more straw yield over surface seeding. Maximum grain yields among all subplot treatments, was registered with hoeing (18 DAS) + hand weeding (40 DAS), and was at par with all other treatments except weedy check, 2, 4 D Na salt (@750 g a.i/ha) and hoeing (18 DAS) + 2, 4 D Na salt (@750 g a.i/ha). Highest straw production were recorded in hoeing (18 DAS) + metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha), which was significantly higher to all other treatment except hoeing (18 DAS) + hand weeding (40 DAS), metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha) and hoeing (18 DAS) + 2, 4 D Na salt (@750 g a.i/ha). Maximum net profit was recorded with conventional tillage (Rs. 61,544) but higher benefit:cost ratio was recorded with minimum tillage options (2.02). Further, more net returns observed with hoeing (18 DAS) + hand weeding (40 DAS) (Rs. 61,568), however more benefit:cost ratio were recorded in metribuzine (@175 g a.i/ha) (2.01).

Biological Diversity: Current Status and Conservation Policies

“…Shifting of various weed in crop field mainly owing due to different weed management practice, which do not control the total weed community or population in particular field. The management practice could be herbicide use or any other practice such as tillage, manure application, or harvest schedule that brings about a change in weed species composition (Mukherjee, 2018). Some species or biotypes are killed by (or susceptible to) the weed management practice, others are not affected by the management practice (tolerant or resistant), and still others do not encounter the management practice (dormant at application).…”

“…In the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains, adoption of zero tillage has resulted in an increase in population of globally-significant perennial weeds such as purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) and Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) (Malik and Kumar, 2014). Observation revealed that, effective weed control with various tillage option enhances crop yield significantly, with little effect on weed biotypes (Mukherjee, 2017), Such shifts are likely to occur in other production system as well suggesting that weed flora need to be monitored continuously in all cropping systems and agro-ecological regions in order to assess emerging weed problems and plan weed management strategies accordingly (Mandal and Mukherjee, 2018).…”

Weeds biodiversity: Challenges and opportunity in current context

“…Shifting of various weed in crop field mainly owing due to different weed management practice, which do not control the total weed community or population in particular field. The management practice could be herbicide use or any other practice such as tillage, manure application, or harvest schedule that brings about a change in weed species composition (Mukherjee, 2018). Some species or biotypes are killed by (or susceptible to) the weed management practice, others are not affected by the management practice (tolerant or resistant), and still others do not encounter the management practice (dormant at application).…”

“…In the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains, adoption of zero tillage has resulted in an increase in population of globally-significant perennial weeds such as purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) and Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) (Malik and Kumar, 2014). Observation revealed that, effective weed control with various tillage option enhances crop yield significantly, with little effect on weed biotypes (Mukherjee, 2017), Such shifts are likely to occur in other production system as well suggesting that weed flora need to be monitored continuously in all cropping systems and agro-ecological regions in order to assess emerging weed problems and plan weed management strategies accordingly (Mandal and Mukherjee, 2018).…”