Response of weed management on, nutrient uptake and economics in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) Under south Gujarat condition

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at Navsari during 2007-08 with 10 weed management treatments to study the effect of weed management in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) under South Gujarat condition. The highest seed (1348 kg ha-1) and straw (3100 kg ha-1) yields were recorded under treatment of weed free up to harvest (W3) being at par with Pendimethalin @1.0 kg ha-1 + hand weeding at 40 DAS (W5). Pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg ha-1 + hand weeding at 40 DAS (W5) and Pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (W4) found most effective with the lowest dry weight of weeds of 552.50 and 622.25 kg ha-1, with higher weed control efficiency of 68.12 and 64.13 per cent, lower weed index of 8.50 and 23.12 per cent, respectively, while treatment unweeded control recorded the highest dry weight of weeds (1738.00 kg ha-1) and higher weed index (50.28%) at harvest. The highest (21.84, 13.02 and 9.55 kg NPK ha-1) and the lowest (4.93, 3.47 and 2.15 kg NPK ha-1) nutrients removal by weeds were recorded under treatment unweeded control (W0) and pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg ha-1 + hand weeding at 40 DAS (W5), respectively. The highest net profit (Rs. 20486 ha-1) was obtained from treatment of weed free up to harvest (W3) followed by treatment of pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg ha-1 + one hand weeding at 40 DAS (Rs. 17861 ha-1) and Pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (Rs. 14309 ha-1). While the highest cost benefit ratio (3.52) was obtained under treatment of weed free up to harvest followed by treatments pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg ha-1 + one hand weeding at 40 DAS (3.14).