Weed Management in Summer Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under South Gujarat Condition

A field experiment was conducted during the summer 2023 at Agricultural experimental Station, Paria, Gujarat with the objectives to determine the effect of different weed management treatment on growth and yield of summer groundnut under south Gujarat condition. The experiment designed in randomized block design with four replications. The treatments were T1: unweeded control, T2: weed-free hand weeding at 20, 30, and 40 DAS, T3: pre-emergence application of pendimethalin (EC) at 1.0 kg/ha + 1 HW, T4: pre-emergence application of pendimethalin (CS) at 1.0 kg/ha + 1 HW, T5: pre-emergence application of flumioxazin (SC) @ 0.05 kg/ha + 1 HW, T6: pre-emergence application of diclosulam (WDG) at 20 g/ha (PE) + 1 HW; T7: pre-emergence application of pendimethalin (EC) at 1.0 kg/ha (PE) + imazamox + imazethapyr at 70 g/ha in pre-mix as post-emergence; T8: post-emergence application of propaquizafop (EC) at 75 g/ha. The results revealed that significantly higher values of growth parameter viz, plant height, yield attributing parameters viz., number pods per plant, shelling percentage, test weight, harvest index and pod as well as haulm yield were recorded under weed free (Hand weeding at 20, 30 and 40 DAS) (T2). Treatment T3 and T4 were found equally effective in recording higher values of growth parameters and yield attributes and yield than rest of treatments. Whereas weed management treatments did not excert any significant effect on oil content of groundnut. The highest net profit and B:C ratio were accrued from weed-free (T2), closely followed by pendimethalin EC @ 1.0 kg/ha as pre-emergence + 1 HW (T3) and pendimethalin CS @ 1.0 kg/ha as pre-emergence + 1 HW (T4). The results of the study showed that T2 (weed-free, hand-weeding at 20, 30, and 40 DAS) produced the best outcomes, whereas T3 and T4 herbicide treatments produced results that were comparable to T1.