Weed management with pre- and post-emergence herbicide in rainfed pearl millet under conservation agriculture

In order to assess the impact of various tillage and weed management practices on the weed dynamics and productivity of rainfed pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br] under conservation agriculture, an experiment was carried out in 2019– 20 at ICAR–IARI, New Delhi. Adoption of zero tillage + barley residue retention 3 t/ha (ZT + R) increased the pearl millet grain yield by 9.17 and 13.3%, respectively over the zero tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT). At 60 days after sowing (DAS), hand weeding (HW) had the highest weed control efficiency (78.3%). Pre-emergence application (PE) of atrazine 0.75 kg/ha fb post-emergence application (PoE) of 2,4-D 0.75 kg/ha was the next successful treatments (77.5%). With HW twice at 30 and 50 DAS, grain yield was considerably higher (2.53 t/ha), and atrazine 0.75 kg/ha PE fb 2,4-D 0.75 kg/ha PoE recorded next highest yield (2.42 t/ha). Atrazine 0.75kg/ha PE fb 2,4-D 0.75 kg/ha PoE recorded significantly greater net returns ( 29201) and B:C (1.08).