Koushik Brahmachari

An integrated approach to weed management practices in direct-seeded rice under zero-tilled rice–wheat cropping system

ABSTRACT An increasing water crisis as well as shortage of farm labor farmers in many Asian regions is forcing a shift from puddled transplanted rice to direct-seeded rice. The weeds, however, are a major constraint to the production of direct-seeded rice. In this perspective, a field study was carried out to evaluate various pre- and post-emergence herbicides and different possible integrated weed management practices in zero-till direct-seeded rice. Weed infestation decreased the rice yield by near about 75%. Co-culture rice with Sesbania followed by (fb) pendimethalin fb 2,4-D effectively reduced the total weed population (65.1%) and biomass (86.7%) at 30 days after sowing (DAS). The lowest total weed dry biomass at 60 DAS was recorded from bispyribac-sodium+azimsulfuron-treated plot and such tank mix application of herbicide performed better against diverse weed flora as compared to a single herbicide. Higher yield and more profit from zero-till direct-seeded rice were obtained with the application of bispyribac-sodium+azimsulfuron herbicides as a tank mixture or an integrated approach through cowpea green-manuring fb 2,4-D+glyphosate fb bispyribac-sodium by effective management of versatile weed flora.

Influence of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) based Intercropping Systems on Soil Health and Productivity in Alluvial Soil of West Bengal

Guava is one of the most delicious tropical fruit crop all over world as well as in India (Singh et al., 2016; Sau et al., 2016). In India, it is grown in an area of 251 thousand hectares with the production of 4083 thousand MT (NHB, 2015). It is recognized as the third most important fruit crop of West Bengal, cultivated in an area of 14.4 thousand ha with 186 thousand MT productions (NHB, 2015), besides, mango and banana mostly in the districts of Nadia, 24 Parganas (North and South), Birbhum, Midnapore (West and East), Purulia, Bankura, Burdwan where the soils are fertile (alluvial) and having high water table. With the advancement of society, availability of cultivable land is shrinking but the food demand for the millions is increasing day by day. Today, the vertical increment in the production of fruits alone, like monocropping, neither increases income nor provides employment satisfactorily (Maji and Das, 2013). Intercropping is also considered profitable in the framework of rising demand of the households and enhanced regular employment opportunity to family labours (Ghilotia et al., 2015). Adoption of proper intercropping system can provide substantial yield advantages as compared with the sole International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 11 (2017) pp. 241-251 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com