Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 12 No. sp4 (2025): Recent Advances in Agriculture by Young Minds - III

Weed dynamics and integrated management in finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn]

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.6588
Submitted
7 December 2024
Published
22-10-2025

Abstract

Weed management plays a crucial role in enhancing the productivity and sustainability of finger millet cultivation, particularly under diverse agro-ecological conditions. A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Bhubaneswar, Odisha to study the effect of weed management practices on weed growth, crop growth and productivity of finger millet during the kharif season of 2023. The experiment included eight treatments combining stale seedbed, closer row spacing, bispyribac-Na, two hand weedings, and a weedy check. These were arranged in a randomised block design with three replications. Twice-hand weeding recorded the lowest weed density (14.0 No./m²) and dry weight (8.0 g/m²), comparable to the stale seedbed method followed by closer spacing (21.8 No./m², 12.9 g/m²). The maximum tiller number, dry matter accumulation, and ear count per square meter were achieved with the two-hand weeding treatment performed at 20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS). This was closely followed by the stale seedbed method combined with closer spacing, as well as closer spacing combined with bispyribac-sodium application. In terms of productivity, the highest yield of 2217 kg/ha was recorded under the two-hand weeding treatment. This yield was statistically comparable to the yields obtained from the stale seedbed technique followed by (fb) closer spacing (2060 kg/ha) and closer spacing fb bispyribac-sodium at 15 g/ha at 15 DAS (1884 kg/ha). In terms of grain yield, twice hand weeding was 7.62% higher than stale seedbed technique fb closer spacing. The next best treatment in maximization of yield was the integrated application of stale seedbed fb bispyribac-sodium (1645 kg/ha) treatment in finger millet. Economic analysis of finger millet exhibited the highest return per rupee invested (2.45) under stale seedbed fb closer row spacing. Integrated weed management using the stale seedbed technique 10 days before sowing followed by 15 cm row spacing proved most effective, offering practical benefits for farmers by ensuring better weed control, enhanced crop growth, higher yields, and improved profitability in finger millet during the kharif season.

References

  1. 1. Gupta N, Srivastava AK, Pandey VN. Biodiversity and nutraceutical quality of some Indian millets. In: Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences, India Section B. Biological Science; 2012. 82:265‒73 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-012-0035-z
  2. 2. Pradhan A, Rajput AS, Thakur A. Effect of weed management practices on finger millet under rainfed conditions. Indian J Weed Sci. 2012;44(2):115‒17.
  3. 3. Patil B, Reddy VC, Prasad TVR, Shankaralingappa BC, Devendra R, Kalyanamurthy KN. Weed management in irrigated organic finger millet. Indian J Weed Sci. 2013;45(2):143–45.
  4. 4. Dubey RP, Chethan CR, Choudhary VK, Mishra JS. A review on weed management in millets. Indian J Weed Sci. 2023;55(2):141–48. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-8164.2023.00025.4
  5. 5. Sneha SR, Sheeja KR. Weed management in millets- A holistic approach. Agric Rev. 2022;20(5):103‒07. https://doi.org/10.18805/ag.R-2520
  6. 6. Rao AN. Weed management in finger millet in India- an overview. Indian J Weed Sci. 2021;53(4):324–35. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-8164.2021.00061.7
  7. 7. Sangramsingh P, Dash S, Chowdhury MR, Nanda SS, Sar K, Behera B, Gulati JML. Effect of integrated application of herbicides and straw mulch on productivity and profitability of rainfed upland rice (Oryza sativa). Indian J Agron. 2022;67:316‒19. https://doi.org/10.59797/ija.v67i3.35
  8. 8. Duary B, Jaiswal DK, Dash S, Sar K, Patel N. Effect of tillage and pre-mix application of herbicides on weed growth and productivity of late-sown wheat. Indian J Weed Sci. 2021;53:188‒90. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-8164.2021.00035.6
  9. 9. Teja K, Duary B, Dash S. Efficacy of herbicides and their combination on weed management in transplanted kharif rice. J Crop Weed. 2017;13:175‒79.
  10. 10. Chowdhury R, Dash S, Pradhan A. Weed management in direct seeded rice-mustard-sesame crop sequence in lateritic soil of Birbhum, West Bengal. Pestic Res J. 2021;33:43‒51. https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-524X.2021.00037.6
  11. 11. Dash S, Duary B, Sar K. Efficacy of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and penoxsulam for weed management with special emphasis on Echinochloa spp. in transplanted summer rice. Indian J Weed Sci. 2021;53:78‒80. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-8164.2021.00011.3
  12. 12. Dash S, Malik GC, Banerjee M, Sethi D. Effect of different weed management practices in Boro rice cultivation. Adv Life Sci. 2016;5:1351‒55.
  13. 13. Dash S, Malik GC, Banerjee M, Sethi D. Weed management practices in summer rice and their residual effect on black gram. Int J Farm Sci. 2016;6:19‒23.
  14. 14. Kumar PMK, Shekara BG, Yamuna BG, Sunil CM. Crop weed competition for nutrients by weeds and drill sown finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.]. Int J Trop Agric. 2015;33(3):2049‒53.
  15. 15. Bayala J, Teklehaimanot Z, Ouedraogo SJ. Millet production under pruned tree crowns in a parkland system in Burkina Faso. Agrofor Syst. 2002;54:203–14. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016058906682
  16. 16. Das R, Dash S, Priyadarshini A, Jena J, Subhadarshi S. Weed growth and productivity of green gram (Vigna radiata L.) under integrated weed management practices. Plant Sci Today. 2024;11:320‒24. https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.3692
  17. 17. Hota S, Dash S, Joshi UB. Sole and sequential application of herbicides and botanicals for weed management in summer sesame. Plant Sci Today. 2024;11:1022‒27. https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.4122
  18. 18. Sangramsingh PK, Dash S. Sole and sequential application of herbicide and straw mulch on weed growth and productivity of direct seeded rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.). Bangladesh J Bot. 2021;50:671‒77. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjb.v50i3.55847
  19. 19. Dash S, Chowdhury MR, Sar K, Jena J, Gulati JML. Integrated weed management in conservation agriculture- A review. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2020;9:411‒24. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.908.048
  20. 20. Dash S, Duary B. Tillage and weed management effects on productivity of wheat under dry seeded rice-wheat system on lateritic soils of West Bengal. Indian J Weed Sci. 2020;52:326‒30. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-8164.2020.00065.9
  21. 21. Patnaik PK, Dash S, Chowdhury MR, Das SP, Sar K, Pradhan SR. Weed growth and productivity of summer green gram (Vigna radiata L.) under sole and sequential application of herbicides. Res Crops. 2022;23:70‒75. https://doi.org/10.31830/2348-7542.2022.011
  22. 22. Teja KC, Duary B, Dash S, Mallick RB. Post-emergence application of imazethapyr for weed management in lentil. SATSA Mukhapatra-Annu Techni Issue. 2017;21:183‒88.
  23. 23. Gomez KA, Gomez AA. Statistical procedure for agricultural research. John Wiley and sons, London. 2003; p. 139‒67, 204‒07.
  24. 24. Satish P, Lakra RK, Nargis K, Alam P, Puran AN. Weed management on direct-seeded finger millet under rainfed conditions of Jharkhand. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2018;SP(7):844‒50.
  25. 25. Patil B, Reddy VC. Weed management practices in irrigated organic finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.). Sch J Agric Vet Sci. 2014;1(4A):211‒15. https://doi.org/10.36347/sjavs.2014.v01i04.012
  26. 26. Shinggu CP, Gani M. Effects of planting methods and spacing on weed and productivity of finger millet (Eleusine coracona) in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria. Global J Biosci Biotech. 2012;l(2):160‒62.
  27. 27. Shanmugapriya P, Rathika S, Ramesh T, Janaki P. Response of transplanted finger millet to weed management practices under sodic soil condition. J Appl Nat Sci. 2022;14(SI):263‒68. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v14iSI.3711
  28. 28. Sanjay KJ, Singh V, Tiwari D, Shruti GG, Padachala S. Effect of spacing and age of seedling on growth and yield of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.). Biol Forum – Int J. 2021;13(1):585‒89.
  29. 29. Saravanane P, Karthickraja A, Nadaradjan S, Mohan R. Sustainable and eco-friendly weed management options for transplanted finger millet. Proceedings of the International Seminar on Sensitizing the Millet Farming, Consumption and Nutritional Security - Challenges and Opportunities, Puducherry, India; 2023 Nov 9-10. p. 197–201
  30. 30. Singh G, Singh RG, Mehta RK. Relative efficiency of different herbicides in direct seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) in rainfed lowlands. Indian J Agric Sci. 2005;75(1):46‒48.
  31. 31. Dhaka BK, Anisha, Dinesh, Raj R, Dhaka P, Kamal. Integrated weed management in minor millet. Int J Plant Soil Sci. 2023;35(23):676‒90. https://doi.org/10.9734/IJPSS/2023/v35i234288
  32. 32. Jawahar S, Chanu YB, Suseendran K, Vinodkumar SR, Kalaiyarasan. Effect of weed management practices on growth, yield and economics of transplanted kodo millet. Int J Res Anal Rev. 2019;6(1):1121‒28.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.