Effects of drone-assisted precision weed management on irrigated barnyard millet

The research experiment was conducted during the 2023-24 rabi season, to examine the impact of herbicide dosage and spray volume applied through drones on weed control efficiency, aiming to enhance production and maintain soil and plant health in barnyard millet. The study took place at ADAC&RI, TNAU, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. The treatments consisted of two levels of pretilachlor (375g/ha and 500g/ha), and three levels of spray volume across two spraying methods (40, 50, and 60 L/ha using EFT E610p 10l agricultural drone model, and 500 L/ha applied manually with knapsack sprayer). Results revealed that the pre-emergence (PE) application of pretilachlor at 500 g/ha with a spray volume of 40 L/ha, 3 days after transplanting (DAT) using a drone resulted in higher weed control efficiency of 91.9% and 89.2 % at 15 DAT and 30 DAT, respectively, along with a higher grain yield of 2195 kg/ha. Enhanced weed control efficiency minimized nutrient removal by weeds, allowing greater nutrient uptake by crops and improved pollen viability, which contributed to higher yield parameters and grain nutrient content without compromising grain quality. Soil health is maintained, supporting nutrient availability and crop uptake without deteriorating the post-harvest nutrient status.