Revolutionizing weed management through smart herbicide technology on boosting wet direct-seeded rice productivity

To investigate the impact of nanoencapsulation herbicides on weed control and yield of wet-seeded rice and control agroecotoxicity. Field experiments were conducted during the kharif season of 2022-23 and 2023-24 in a Randomized Block Design with eleven treatments and three replications. It was carried out with nanoencapsulated herbicides, viz., pretilachlor and pyrazosulfuron ethyl loaded with zeolite, polycaprolactone and water-soluble polymers. These were compared with commercial formulations of pretilachlor, pyrazosulfuron ethyl and bispyribac sodium, which are weed-free and weedy check treatments. Pyrazosulfuron ethyl showed good compatibility with zeolite and was easier to encapsulate than other herbicides. On weed control measures, pyrazosulfuron ethyl loaded with zeolite @ 25 g a.i. ha-1 showed the lowest weed density, weed biomass and weed index and resulted in higher weed control efficiency, weed control index and herbicide efficiency index, led to recorded higher grain yield (5.3 and 5.1 t ha-1) and straw yield (6.1 and 5.8 t ha-1) of wet seeded rice during 2022 and 2023, respectively. It was on par with pyrazosulfuron ethyl encapsulated with polycaprolactone @ 25 g a.i. ha-1 recorded the weed density, weed biomass, weed index, weed control efficiency, weed control index, herbicide efficiency index, grain (5.2 and 5.0 t ha-1) and straw yield (5.98 and 5.7 t ha-1) during the respective years. Pyrazosulfuron ethyl loaded with zeolite was more efficient in controlling weeds and producing maximum grain and straw yield of wet direct-seeded rice due to the controlled release of the herbicide formulation targeting specific weed species, potentially reducing herbicide toxicity in the agroecosystem. Further research is essential to integrate the nanoencapsulated herbicide-releasing pattern with precision agriculture and ensure their effectiveness across diverse crops for sustainable crop production.