Review of the cutting edge technologies for weed control in field crops

A field study was carried out during rainy (kharif) season of 2019 at Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar, Binjhagiri, Chhatabar, Odisha, to evaluate the effect of herbicide and varying rates of straw mulching on weed growth, productivity and profitability of direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.). Twelve treatments were replicated thrice in a randomized complete-block design. The predominant weeds in the experimental area were: annual blue grass (Poa annua L.), large crab grass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.], jungle rice [Echinochloa colona (L.) Link.], rice flat sedge (Cyperus iria L.), perennial water primrose (Ludwigia perennis L.), chocolate weed (Melochia corchorifolia L.), and alligator weed [Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.]. Application of oxadiargyl followed by (fb) rice straw mulch at 6 t/ha and oxadiargyl fb hand-weeding registered lower weed density (25.0/m² ), biomass (13.4 g/m² ), and higher values of growth parameters (plant height, 65.1cm; tiller density, 236/m² ; dry-matter accumulation, 318.2 g/m² ) of rice. The maximum grain yield of 3.05 t/ha was recorded under the weed-free treatment, followed by oxadiargyl fb rice straw mulch at 6 t/ha (2.99 t/ha) and oxadiargyl fb hand-weeding (2.90 t/ha). Application of oxadiargyl fb rice straw mulch at 6 t/ha resulted in a higher net returns of `17,530/ha and benefit : cost ratio of 0.52.

Weed infestation poses a significant challenge in sesame cultivation, leading to yield losses and decreased economic returns for farmers. The present study comprehensively analyses various weed control approaches, including allelopathic interaction with integrating herbicides and hand-weeding practices. The experiment was conducted at the Agriculture Farm, SOA, Odisha, during the summer of 2023 with 10 weed management treatments in RBD with 3 replications. The objective was to study different weed management practices, including the sole and sequential application of herbicides and botanicals, to control diverse weeds and enhance summer sesame growth, yield and profitability. The dominance of Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., Echinochloa colona (L.) Link. and Poa annua L. among grassy weeds and Melochia corchorifolia L., Cleome viscosa L. and Cassia tora L. among the broadleaved weeds were evident in summer sesame. The execution of different treatments showed that integrated use of aqueous leaf extract of Parthenium hysterophorus at 5 % concentration, followed by quizalofop-p-ethyl at 50 g/ha, was found on par with hand-weeding and brought down the weed count and biomass, which in turn increased the growth of summer sesame. The maximum yield of (793 kg seed/ha and 3035 kg stalk/ha) was registered under twice hand weeding. It was comparable with the spraying of aqueous leaf extract of Parthenium hysterophorus at 5 % concentration followed by (fb) quizalofop-p-ethyl at 50 g/ha (772 kg seed/ ha and 2968 kg stalk/ha). Economic analysis of sesame revealed that the maximum return (Rs. 37454/- per ha) and return/rupee (2.28) were recorded with aqueous leaf extract of P. hysterophorus at 5 % concentration fb quizalofop-p-ethyl at 50 g/ha treatment.

Green gram is a short-duration crop that requires initial control of weeds for better crop establishment. The growth and productivity of green gram under integrated weed management was studied at the Agricultural farm of Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, in the summer 2022. Ten treatments comprised of recommended herbicides, the stale seedbed technique, an aqueous extract of Calotropis gigantea and their combination were designed in the RBD with 3 replications. Results showed that the minimum density and biomass of weeds and maximum growth of green gram were found in twice hand weeding, which was statistically significant with the pre-emergence application of pendimethalin fb imazethapyr as post-emergence and the stale seedbed technique fb imazethapyr as post-emergence. The maximum yield (10.70 q/ha) was documented under two-hand weeding at 15 and 30 DAS, which was statistically comparable with the yield levels of sequential application of pendimethalin fb imazethapyr (10.17 q/ha) and stale seedbed technique fb imazethapyr as post-emergence (9.92 q/ha). Thus, pendimethalin at 750 g/ha at 1 DAS or stale seedbed at 15 days before sowing (DBS), followed by imazethapyr at 75 g/ha at 20 DAS, appeared to be effective in reducing the diverse weed flora significantly and achieving higher growth and yield in summer green gram.

Cultivars and nutrient management determine productivity and quality of the organic finger millet. A field trial was carried out during the kharif season 2022 at Binjhagiri, Bhubaneswar, Odisha comprising the four cultivars of finger millet and four nutrient management practices through organic manure combinations with split plot design replicated thrice. The four cultivars namely, C1- ‘Arjuna’, C2- ‘Bhairabi’, C3- ‘Chilika’ and C4- ‘Kalua’ were assigned to the main plots. Recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) such as 50 kg ha-1 was supplied through varying percentage of organic manures namely, farmyard manure (FYM), neem oilcake (NOC) and vermicompost (VC). Four nutrient management practices such as N1- FYM (RDN100), N2- FYM (RDN40) + NOC (RDN30) + VC (RDN30), N3- FYM (RDN50) + NOC (RDN25) + VC (RDN25), N4- FYM (RDN60) + NOC (RDN20) + VC (RDN20) were assigned to the sub-plots. Combination of the treatments viz., C3N2, C4N2, C3N3 and C4N3 excelled over the others for grain and protein yields and profitability, but treatment combination C4N2 was the most promising considering the parameters like grain yield (2.10 tha-1), net return (Rs. 36940 ha-1), protein yield (165.75 kg ha-1), calcium yield (7.34 kg ha-1) and iron yield (0.137 kg ha-1). There was significant positive correlation of grain yield with all growth-yield parameters, except test weight, whereas regression analysis indicated 70.86, 85.21 and 73.45% contribution of tillers hill-1, dry matter production and leaf area index at harvest, respectively, to variations in grain yield. The organic finger millet growers should cultivate cv. ‘Kalua’ with application of FYM+NOC+VC @ 4.35+0.34+0.6 t ha-1 for achieving maximum yield and grain quality.

The Indian Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is facing severe water management challenges due to climate change, population growth, and economic development. This study analyzes the economic benefits of sustainable water management practices in the Indian Sundarbans. This study examines the economic benefits of sustainable water management practices in the Indian Sundarbans. Using a combination of literature review, case study, and economic analysis, we find that sustainable water management practices can generate significant economic benefits, including increased crop yields, reduced water treatment costs, job creation, and livelihood improvement. Our results show that sustainable water management practices can increase crop yields by up to 30%, reduce water treatment costs by up to 50%, and create up to 10,000 jobs in the region. We also estimate that the ecosystem services provided by sustainable water management practices are valued at up to $1.3 billion annually. Our findings have important implications for policy and decision-making on sustainable water management practices in the Indian Sundarbans. Water protection and management is vital for socioeconomic development and ecological diversity. Groundwater resources are of key importance to sustainable development. While planning for the urban settlement and industries, the occurrence of adequate water resource is the crucial component for the life. The aim of the study is to analyses the rapid industrialization and economic development leading to a tremendous increase in the use of groundwater.