Effect of integrated weed management on growth and yields of rainy-season sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

A field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2011 and 2012 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh, to identify the suitable and effective integrated weed-management practices for sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design replicated thrice with 10 treatments of weed-management practices on sorghum hybrid ‘CSH 16’. Mean data of 2 years indicated that all the weedmanagement practices significantly reduced the density and dry weight of weeds and helped in a significant enhancement in yield attributes and yield of sorghum. Among different weed-management practices applied, preemergence applications of pendimethalin @ 0.50 kg a.i./ha + 1 hand-weeding at 30 days after sowing was an effective practice in controlling the weeds 63.9% weed-control efficiency (WCE) and remunerative in terms of net returns (35, 049/ha), followed by the application of atrazine @ 0.25 kg a.i./ha + 2 hand-weeding at 30 and 45 DAS (60.29% weed-control efficiency and net returns (33, 548/ha). It was also observed that both the weed-management practices recorded the lower weed density and dry weight of weeds as compared to all other methods of weed control.