Density and Dry Matter Accumulation of Grasses, Sedges and Broadleaved Weeds as Influenced by Weed Management Practices in Sesame

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2024–25 on sandy loam soils at the S.V. Agricultural College Farm, Tirupati. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications, comprising of ten weed management treatments. Among the various weed management strategies evaluated, density and dry weight of grasses at 20 DAS were lower in pre-emergence application of metolachlor @ 750 (23.00 no. m-2 & 2.10 g m-2) and metolachlor @ 500 g ha-1 (25.67 no. m-2 & 3.53 g m-2) which were at par with each other. At remaining stages of observation lower density and dry weight of grasses at 40, 60 DAS and at harvest were recorded in hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAS and in all the treatments having quizalofop-p-ethyl as post-emergence herbicide. Lower density and dry weight of sedges at 40 DAS (10 no. m-2 & 7.27 g m-2), 60 DAS (13 no. m-2 & 9.60 g m-2) and at harvest (14 no. m-2 & 16.50 g m-2) were recorded in hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAS. None of the herbicides applied were effective against sedges. At 20 DAS, pre-emergence application of pyroxasulfone 125 g ha-1 recorded significantly lower density (25.33 no. m-2) and dry weight (3.60 g m-2) of broadleaved weeds. Lower density and dry weight of broadleaved weeds 40 DAS (20.67 no. m-2 & 9.67 g m-2), 60 DAS (28.00 no. m-2 & 22.20 g m-2) and at harvest (26.67 no. m-2 & 22.93 g m-2) DAS were recorded in hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAS. At 40, 60 DAS and at harvest highest density and dry weight of grasses, sedges and broadleaved weeds were recorded in weedy check.