Effect of weed management on nutrient uptake, yield and economics of direct seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.)

In direct seeded rice cultivation, weed is the major constraint mainly due to absence of puddling in field. The yield loss due to weed interference is huge, may be up to 100 %. In this perspective, the present experiment was conducted to study the effect weed management on nutrient uptake, grain yield, economics of direct seeded rice. The dry weight and density of weeds were recorded at different growth stages and consequently herbicide efficacy was evaluated. Experimental results revealed that pre-emergence herbicide effectively controlled the germination of grass weeds. Application of bispyribac-sodium as post-emergence following pre-herbicides plus hand weeding effectively reduced the density and biomass accumulation of diverse weed flora in Direct Seeded Rice (DSR). Herbicidal treatment improved the plant height, yield attributes and economics over weedy check. Besides early control of weeds is a better prescription to improve rice yield. Based on the grain yield and Weed Control Index (WCI), it can be concluded that the combined application of pre followed by post plus hand weeding effectively control different weed flushes throughout the crop growth period in DSR.