Effect of Weed Management Practices on Economics of Groundnut in Coastal Zone of Karnataka

Aims: To assess efficacy and economic viablity of herbicides on weed management in groundnut under groundnut during rabi-summer season.

Study Design: The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications.

Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Kumta, Uttar Kannada, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad (Karnataka) during rabi 2016-2017.

Methodology: The experiment comprised nine treatments are as follows. T1: Unweeded check, T2: Weed free check, T3: Two hand weeding (At 20 and 40 DAS), T4: pendimethalin 30% E.C. @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (PE) fb one hand weeding at 25 DAS, T5: oxyfluorfen 23.5% E.C. @ 200 g ha-1(PE) fb one hand weeding at 25 DAS, T6: pendimethalin 30% E.C. @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (PE) fb quizalofop-p-ethyl 5% E.C. @ 50 g ha-1 20-30 DAS (POE), T7: pendimethalin 30% E.C. @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (PE) fb imazethapyr 10% S.L. @ 75 g ha-1 20- 30 DAS (POE), T8: pendimethalin 30% E.C. @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (PE) fb oxyfluorfen 23.5% E.C. @ 100 g ha-1 at 20-30 DAS (POE), T9: pendimethalin 30% E.C. @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PE) fb one hand weeding at 25 DAS.

Results: Among the weed management practices revealed that, higher cost of cultivation ( 53,340 ha-1) under weed free check and pod yield (2255 kg ha-1), gross return ( 92,446 ha-1), net return ( 45,239 ha-1) and benefit cost ratio (1.96) with pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 30% E.C. @ 1.5 kg ha-1 followed by one hand weeding at 25 DAS.