Weed management effect on weed growth and yield of foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) Beauv]

A field experiment was conducted during (rainy season) Kharif 2020 at wetland farm of S.V. Agricultural College, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India to study the effect of different pre-emergence herbicides alone or in combination with inter-cultivation on weeds growth and yield of foxtail millet. The predominant weed flora associated with foxtail millet was Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (42%), Cyperus rotundus L. (22%), Cucumis callosus (9%), Boerhavia erecta L. (6%), Commelina benghalensis L. (5%) and others (16%). The hand weeding (HW) twice at 20 and 40 days after seeding (DAS) resulted in lower density and biomass of all weeds with higher weed control efficiency, grain yield and benefit-cost ratio. Next best treatment was pre-emergence application of pretilachlor 500 g/ha or pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 15 g/ha followed by fb) inter-cultivation at 20 DAS. The decrease in grain and straw yield due to weeds in unweeded check was 63.42 and 26.95% respectively, compared to HW twice.