Chemical weed management in blackgram for enhancing productivity Sreenivasulu S1,*, Divya V2, Kumar T Ramu3 1Senior Scientist & Head, RASS - Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tirupati-517501 (Andhra Pradesh) 2Subject Matter Specialist, Agronomy, RASS - Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tirupati-517501 (Andhra Pradesh) 3Subject Matter Specialist, Agricultural Extension, RASS - Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tirupati-517501 (Andhra Pradesh) *Corresponding Author's Email - nivassakamuri@gmail.com
Online published on 3 May, 2025. Abstract An On-Farm Trial was conducted during the Rabi seasons of 2020 and 2021 in Nindra mandal, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh and evaluated the efficacy of pre- and post-emergence herbicides on blackgram productivity. The assessment revealed that the most effective treatment, pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin 30% EC (2.5 lt/ha) followed by post-emergence application of Sodium Acifluorfen 16.5% + Cladinofop propargyl 8% EC (1.0 lt/ha) at 15-20 days after sowing (DAS), significantly suppressed weed density (23.30 and 8.80) and weed dry matter (8.95 gm/m2 and 8.35 gm/m2) at 20 and 50 DAS, respectively, resulting in high weed control efficiency (71.33% and 27.37%) compared to the farmer's practice of hand weeding at 25-30 DAS. This treatment also led to significantly higher average plant height (31.6 cm), number of pods per plant (52.8), and yield (1020 kg/ha), resulting in a higher net return (Rs. 41,825/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (2.59) with a lower cost of cultivation (Rs.24,877/ha) compared to the farmer's practice. The increased yield was attributed to effective weed control at critical growth stages, promoting better crop growth, development, and ultimately, a good number of pods. Top Keywords Blackgram, Herbicide, Weed density, Weed control efficiency and Yield. Top |