Growth and Yield Response of Spring Sunflower to Weed Competition Periods and Control Methods
Weed infestation severely reduces sunflower growth and yield. A field experiment was conducted using a split-plot RCBD with weed control methods (manual and chemical) as main plots and weeding times (weed-free, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 days after emergence, and weedy check) as subplots. Significant differences were observed for weed density, biomass, growth, and yield traits. Maximum achene yield (2774.3 kg ha⁻¹) and net return (Rs 1.69 ha⁻¹) were recorded in weed-free treatment under manual control, followed by manual weeding at 30 days after emergence. Chemical control also produced higher returns compared with the weedy check. Overall, timely and effective weed management substantially improved sunflower productivity and profitability under spring planting conditions.
Authors
- Muhammad Ahmad Mudassir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6624-007X)
- Muhammad Ahsan Farooq (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7183-2379)
- Muhammad Usman Ghani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5823-1333)
- Muhammad Jawad Nazir
- Muhammad Yaqub (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4253-4206)
- Maria Hammed
- Ghazanfar Ullah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4004-6826)
- Maqsood Khan
- Fazal Haq (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5412-2041)
- Mehwish Kiran
- Noman Latif Sadozai
- Zahwa Zaffar
Institutions
- Gomal University (PK)
- Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University (PK)
- Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PK)
- Climate Centre (NL)
- Institute of Biomedical and Genetic Engineering (PK)
- National University of Sciences and Technology (PK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Jammu Kashmir Journal of Agriculture
- Published
- 2025-10-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.56810/jkjagri.005.03.0248
- Primary Topic
- Sunflower and Safflower Cultivation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00