Weed Dynamics and Productivity of Chickpea as Influenced by Integrated Weed Management Practices
Abstract
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a major pulse crop of India; however, its productivity is severely affected by early-season weed competition, resulting in yield losses ranging from 40 to 60 percent. Slow canopy development and wider row spacing make the crop more vulnerable to weeds during 20–40 days after sowing, which is considered the critical period of competition. The present review compiles information on weed diversity, chemical weed control efficacy, and integrated strategies in chickpea. The dominant weed complex consists of Chenopodium album, Cyperus rotundus, and Parthenium hysterophorus. Sequential application of pendimethalin as pre-emergence @ 1.0 kg a.i. ha⁻¹ followed by imazethapyr as post-emergence @ 75 g a.i. ha⁻¹ recorded the highest weed control efficiency and lower weed biomass, with grain yield at par with two hand weedings. Combination of herbicide with one manual weeding was found to be economically viable and ecologically sustainable. This paper also highlights future thrust areas including evaluation of new herbicide molecules, soil health assessment and precision-based weed management.
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Introduction
Chickpea is the premier pulse crop of India, accounting for nearly 45 percent of total pulse output (AICRP, 2022). In Chhattisgarh, it is cultivated mainly under rainfed conditions during the rabi season, but the average productivity (1020 kg ha⁻¹) is much below the potential. Weed infestation is recognized as a key biotic limitation, causing yield reductions of up to 30–57% (Chaudhary et al., 2011). Owing to its initial slow growth habit and wider spacing, the crop faces severe weed pressure at early vegetative stages. The period between 20 and 40 DAS has been identified as crucial for crop–weed competition (Singh et al., 2014). The weed spectrum in chickpea fields includes Chenopodium album, Anagallis arvensis and Cyperus rotundus as predominant species (Kumar et al., 2019). Although manual weeding gives excellent control, scarcity and high wages of labour restrict its large-scale adoption (Rathod et al., 2017). Application of pendimethalin as pre-emergence and imazethapyr as post-emergence has been reported to provide superior weed control with a higher benefit-cost ratio (Yadav et al., 2020; Verma et al., 2021).
Conclusion
Weeds pose a severe threat to chickpea productivity, causing 40–60% grain yield loss when not managed within 20–40 DAS. Double hand weeding is biologically most effective but not economically viable due to high labour requirement. Sequential application of pendimethalin as pre-emergence followed by imazethapyr as post-emergence and integration of herbicide with one hand weeding were found to be practically feasible, economically remunerative and highly efficient in controlling weeds and improving growth and yield components. Therefore, adoption of integrated weed management is recommended for sustainable chickpea cultivation.
References
- AICRP. (2022). All India Coordinated Research Project on Chickpea: Annual report. Indian Institute of Pulses Research.
- Chaudhary, B. M., Patel, J. J., & Delvadia, D. R. (2011). Effect of weed management practices on weed dynamics and yield of chickpea. Indian Journal of Weed Science, *43*(1&2), 70-72.
- Kumar, S., Singh, R., & Yadav, R. (2019). Weed flora in chickpea as influenced by weed management practices. Legume Research, *42*(1), 123-127.
- Rathod, P. S., Patil, D. H., & Dodamani, B. M. (2017). Integrated weed management in chickpea. Indian Journal of Agronomy, *62*(1), 95-98.
- Singh, G., Aggarwal, N., & Ram, H. (2014). Critical period of weed competition in chickpea. Journal of Food Legumes, *27*(3), 216-220.
- Verma, S. K., Singh, R. P., & Yadav, S. (2021). Bio-efficacy of imazethapyr in chickpea. The Pharma Innovation Journal, *10*(5), 112-115.
- Yadav, R. K., Singh, R., & Kumar, A. (2020). Economics of chemical weed management in chickpea. Indian Journal of Weed Science, *52*(1), 45-48.