Evaluation of Herbicides for Weed Control in Gobhi Sarson (Brassica napus L.) under Rainfed Mid-hill Conditions of Himachal Pradesh

Field experiment was conducted at Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya Regional Research Station, Bajaura during 1996–97 to 1998–99 to evaluate the herbicides for weed control in gobhi sarson (Brassica napus L.) under rainfed conditions. During 1996–97 when the crop and weeds emerged only after II weeks of sowing when rains were received, pendimethalin at 1.0 kg ha⁻¹ remaining statistically at par with pendimethalin at 1.5 kg ha⁻¹, two hand weedings and alachlor at 1.5 kg ha⁻¹ gave significantly higher grain yield than other treatments due to reduced weed growth. During 1997–98, the year of excessive rainfall, all the herbicides at all the levels showed phytotoxicity and hand weeding twice was observed the best treatment. During 1998–99, all the weed control treatments increased the grain yield of gobhi sarson significantly over farmers' practice and unweeded check due to a significant reduction in weed population and dry matter accumulation.