1Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa-848 125, Bihar, India
2Department of Agronomy, Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agriculture), Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan-731 236, West Bengal, India
3Department of Agricultural Statistics, Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agriculture), Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan-731 236, West Bengal, India
4Field Officer, Rubber Board, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Regional Office, Agartala-799 006, Tripura, India
*Corresponding Author: Pritam Ghosh, Department of Agronomy, Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agriculture), Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan-731 236, West Bengal, India, Email: pritambckv@gmail.com
Online published on 7 February, 2026.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the most important pulse crop widely cultivated for its nutritional and economic value. However, weed infestation poses a significant challenge to chickpea production, leading to reduced growth and productivity. Effective weed management strategies are therefore essential to mitigate the losses due to weeds and improve crop productivity. Selective herbicides with low or no phytotoxicity to the crop offer a promising solution for controlling weeds in order to boost up crop productivity. Currently available post emergence herbicides such as imazethapyr, can cause phytotoxic effects on chickpea. Therefore, it is essential to identify new post-emergence herbicides that can effectively control weeds without harming plant health. This study investigates the impact of topramezone, a selective post-emergence herbicide, on weeds as well as growth and productivity of chickpea.
A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Farm of Palli Siksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan during rabi season of 2021-22 and 2022-23. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with nine treatments and three replications. The treatments were - T1 - topramezone 15 g ha-1 as POE, T2 - topramezone 17.5 g ha-1 as POE, T3 - topramezone 20 g ha-1 as POE, T4 - topramezone 22.5 g ha-1 as POE, T5 - topramezone 25 g ha-1 as POE, T6 - imazethapyr 60 g ha-1 as POE, T7 - pendimethalin 750 g ha-1 as PE, T8 - weed free and T9 - unweeded control. The study assessed the density and dry weight of weeds, weed control efficiency, growth and yield parameters as well as yield of chickpea under various application doses of topramezone in comparison with imazethapyr and pendimethalin.
Among all the herbicides, post-emergence application of topramezone 25 g ha-1 at 25 days after sowing resulted the lowest density and dry weight of weeds, the highest growth (plant height, LAI) and yield parameters (number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1), seed yield and harvest index. Therefore, post-emergence application of topramezone 25 g ha-1 at 25 days after sowing proved to be an effective herbicide for weed control in chickpea in the lateritic belt of West Bengal.
Chickpea, Herbicide, Imazethapyr, Pendimethalin, Weeds
