Effect of land management and weed management in transplanted rice

The field experiment was conducted at the State Seed Farm, Kottarakkara during Rabi 2024 with an objective to study the effect of land and weed management on growth and yield of transplanted rice. The experiment was laid out in split plot with four replications. The main plot treatments were assigned to three land management practices (l₁: conventional tillage, l₂: farmers' practice and l₃: stale seed bed technique). The sub-plot treatments consisted of six weed management practices: pre-emergence (PE) application of oxyfluorfen at 0.15 kg ha⁻¹, post-emergence (PoE) application of the herbicide penoxsulam + butachlor at 820 g ha⁻¹, application of florpyrauxifen-benzyl at 31.25 g ha⁻¹, metsulfuron methyl + chlorimuron ethyl at 4 g ha⁻¹, twice hand weeding (at 20 and 40 DAT) and unweeded control. Among land management the stale seed bed technique had significantly improved the growth parameters, including plant height, dry matter production and number of tillers. In case of weed management treatments, PoE florpyrauxifen-benzyl recorded significantly taller plants at 45 DAT higher tiller numbers, higher dry matter production and were comparable with penoxsulam + butachlor and twice hand weeding. Significant higher yield attributes (productive tillers m⁻², grains per panicle) and higher grain yield, highest straw yield and lowest weed index were observed for stale seed bed technique. Among weed management practices PoE florpyrauxifen-benzyl recorded with significant higher number of productive tillers, higher number of grains per panicle, higher grain yield and lower weed index which were on par with PoE penoxsulam + butachlor and twice hand weeding.