Bio-efficacy of ready mixture of propaquizafop and imazethapyr against weeds in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the rainy season of 2017 and 2018 at the Live Stock Farm, Depart- ment of Agronomy, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh to adjudge the efficacy of propaquizafop and imazethapyr ready mixture against weeds in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]. Species-wise weed data recorded in the weedy check plots indicated that, density of monocot weeds (51.09%) was practically same to that of dicot ones (48.90%) in the experimental field. Among the monocots, jungle rice [Echinochloa colona (L.) Link.] (27.10%) was found pre- dominant, followed by dicot weeds like gale of the wind Phyllanthus niruri (L.) (24.26%) and alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart. Griseb.] (16.40%) due to continuous germination of these weed seeds from the soil. However, other monocot weeds like (Cyperus rotundus L.), Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon, (L.) pers.], tropical spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis L.), and dicots like Chicory (Cichorium intybus) L.) were also present in less numbers. Among the herbicidal treatments, post-emergence application of propaquizafop + imazethapyr ready-mixture at 55 + 80 g/ha arrested weed density and weed biomass production remarkably and proved supe- rior to its lower doses (50 + 75 and 45 + 70 g/ha), fomesafen + fluazeop-p-butyl ready mixture (90 + 90 and 110 + 110 g/ha), alone application of imazethapyr (150 g/ha) and pendimethalin (1,000 g/ha) as pre-emergence. Yield attributing characters (pods/plant, seeds/pod, seed index) and yield (1,189 kg/ha) were superior under propaquizafop + imazethapyr ready mixture applied at 55 + 80 g/ha followed, by 50 + 75 g/ha and found more re- munerative than the other herbicidal treatments including check herbicides and mechanical weed control.