Tag: Wheat

Soil–Herbicide Interactions and Productivity Response of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Volume 14, Issue 56, 2025 (October – December)

Research Article
Soil–Herbicide Interactions and Productivity Response of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Rahul Sihag, Mahipal Dudwal, Ramesh Chand Choudhary, Arjun Lal Prajapat, Khubi Poonia, Sidharth
Keywords: Wheat, herbicides, weed management, clodinafop, sulfosulfuron, yield, harvest index.
DOI:10.37273/chesci.cs312056082

Full Text – PDF

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Vivekananda Global University Research Farm, Jaipur, Rajasthan, during the rabi season to evaluate the efficacy of different herbicides and weed management practices in wheat. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with 11 treatments including pre- and post-emergence herbicides, hand weeding, weedy check, and weed-free conditions, replicated thrice. Growth parameters, weed dry matter, yield attributes, and productivity were recorded and statistically analyzed. Weed-free plots recorded the lowest weed dry matter (0 kg/ha) and produced the highest plant height (79.33 cm), ear length (12.74 cm), and grains per spike (43.2). Among chemical treatments, clodinafop-propargyl + metsulfuron methyl, sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron, and hand weeding at 30–35 DAS proved most effective, significantly reducing weed biomass (172–180 kg/ha) while enhancing growth traits. Grain yield was highest under weed-free conditions (48.69 q/ha), closely followed by clodinafop + metsulfuron (46.19 q/ha) and hand weeding (46.99 q/ha). The weedy check produced the lowest grain yield (34.46 q/ha), reflecting nearly 29% yield loss due to unchecked weed competition. Harvest index remained relatively stable across treatments (44.8–46.0), indicating that weed control influenced biomass accumulation more than partitioning efficiency.

Effective weed management significantly improves wheat growth and productivity. While weed-free plots gave maximum yields, herbicidal combinations such as clodinafop-propargyl + metsulfuron methyl and sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron, along with timely hand weeding, were nearly as effective and economically feasible. Integrated approaches combining manual and chemical methods offer a sustainable strategy for wheat weed management in semi-arid environments.

References

  1. Anonymous. Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2023. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India; 2023.
  2. Kumar R, Singh R, Sharma I, Sharma RK. Wheat production in India: Technologies to face future challenges. Journal of Wheat Research. 2011;3(2):1–12.
  3. Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Agricultural Statistics, Rajasthan 2023. Government of Rajasthan; 2023.
  4. Malik RK, Singh S. Evolving strategies and challenges for managing Phalaris minor in India. Indian Journal of Weed Science. 1995;27(1):1–18.
  5. Yaduraju NT. Weed management in field crops: An overview. Indian Journal of Agronomy. 2006;51(3):186–203.
  6. Balyan RS, Malik RK, Panwar RS, Singh S. Competitive ability of winter wheat cultivars with wild oat (Avena ludoviciana). Weed Science. 1991;39(2):154–8.
  7. Singh R, Singh S, Malik RK. Sulfosulfuron and metsulfuron: Two new herbicides for weed control in wheat. Indian Farming. 2005;55(2):17–20.
  8. Chauhan BS, Mahajan G, Sardana V, Timsina J, Jat ML. Productivity and sustainability of the rice–wheat cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of the Indian subcontinent: Problems, opportunities, and strategies. Advances in Agronomy. 2012;117:315–69.
  9. Rishav R, Sushant, Birendra K, Mahendra S. Efficacy of different weed management practices on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2020;9(5):122-132
  10. Singh, M. Yadav S. Clodinafop + Metsulfuron post-emergence herbicide effectively reduced weed biomass and boosted growth. The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2023.
  11. Thakur SK, Singh RP. Effect of herbicide combinations on growth, yield, and nutrient uptake in irrigated wheat. Indian Journal of Weed Science. 2020;52(1):45-52
  12. Dhari, T. Sulfosulfuron (0.03 kg/ha) improved plant height, dry weight, grains/spike vs weedy check. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. 2025;12(2):12–20.
  13. Malik RS, Yadav A, Kumari R. Ready-mix clodinafop-propargyl + metsulfuron-methyl in wheat. Indian Journal of Weed Science. 2013;45(3):179–82.

 

Micronutrient Dynamics of Zinc and Iron in Soil and Foliar Applications for Wheat Biofortification

Volume 14, Issue 56, 2025 (October – December)

Research Article
Micronutrient Dynamics of Zinc and Iron in Soil and Foliar Applications for Wheat Biofortification
Abhijeet, S.R. Bhunia, Mahaveer Parsad Ola, Arjun Lal Choudhary, Khubi Poonia , Sonali Pal and Ankit Kumar
Keywords: Agronomic biofortification, zinc, iron, wheat, yield, grain quality, foliar spray, soil application
DOI:10.37273/chesci.cs312056085

Full Text – PDF

Abstract

Foliar or soil spray-on provision of micronutrients, or agronomic biofortification, is a viable means of increasing wheat grain concentrations of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) and potentially having effects on grain quality and the research question of the current paper was as follows: What were the effects of various combinations of soil application, zinc and iron at recommended dose of fertilizer, and foliar sprays of oxide s of zinc and iron (ZnSO4) and iron (FeSO4) on a wheat development, their yield and contents of iron and zinc in a grain. Combinations of RDF (T1), RDF (T2), RDF + water spray (T3), RDF + ZnSO4 soil application (T4), RDF + ZnSO4 foliar spray at tillering (T5), combined soil + foliar Zn (T6), RDF + FeSO4 soil application (T7), RDF + FeSO4 foliar spray (T8), combined soil + foliar Fe (T9) and RDF + combined soil Zn + Fe (T10) and RDF + foliar Zn + Fe (T11) yield. Three replications and randomized block design were used by the design of the experiment. Noticeable observations were traits such as plant height, tiller density, biomass, grain yield, harvest index, grain protein contents and contents of Iron and Zinc. In statistical testing, ANOVA and the respective mean separation-tests were adopted.

RDF can only hope to improve the pre-existing yield, but (T6, T9, T10, T11) the combination of soil + foliar integrated Zn/Fe treatments with RDF has the potential to bring about the greatest enhancement in grain Fe and Zn concentration and possibly lead to an enhancement in the yield parameters. The research was giving recommendations on cost effective agronomic measures of improving wheat nutritive value.

References

  1. FAO. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; 2023. Available from: https://www.fao.org/faostat
  2. Government of India. Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2022. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Directorate of Economics and Statistics; 2022.
  3. Cakmak I. Enrichment of cereal grains with zinc: Agronomic or genetic biofortification? Plant Soil. 2008;302(1–2):1–17.
  4. Singh MV. Micronutrient nutritional problems in soils of India and improvement for human and animal health. Indian J Fertil. 2009;5(4):11–16.
  5. WHO. Worldwide prevalence of anaemia 1993–2005: WHO global database on anaemia. World Health Organization; 2008.
  6. Alloway BJ. Zinc in soils and crop nutrition. 2nd ed. Paris: IFA; 2008.
  7. Yadav RL, Kumar R, Shivay YS, Singh S. Nutrient management for enhancing productivity, quality and sustainability of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in India. Indian J Agron. 2009;54(2):113–119.
  8. Adekiya AO, Agbede TM. Growth and yield of tomato as influenced by poultry manure and NPK fertilizer. Emir J Food Agric. 2009;21(1):10–20.
  9. Sharma RP, Gupta SK, Sharma GD. Effect of farmyard manure and fertilizers on yield, nutrient uptake and soil fertility in maize-wheat cropping system. Indian J Agron. 2008;53(1):36–39.
  10. Meena RS, Meena VS, Meena SK. Effect of integrated nutrient management on yield, quality and economics of wheat. Ann Agric Res. 2013;34(2):110–113.
  11. Singh YV, Singh K, Kumar V, Shivay YS. Effect of biofertilizers and poultry manure on growth, yield and nutrient uptake in wheat. Indian J Agron. 2012;57(3):253–257.
  12. Singh AK, Meena MK, Bharati RC, Gade RM. Effect of nutrient management on growth, yield and economics of wheat. Indian J Agron. 2013;58(4):543–546.
  13. Meena BP, Biswas AK, Patel DP, Somasundaram J, Singh M, Rao AS. Effect of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on productivity and soil fertility in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Indian J Agron. 2014;59(2):266–270.