Weed management effects on yield and economics of blackgram

A field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2012 and 2013 to evaluate the effect of weed management practices on weed dry weight, yield attributes, yield and economics of blackgram (Vigna mungo L.). All the weed species were controlled effectively by pre-mix herbicides as compared to alone application of pendimethalin as pre-emergance and imazethapyr as post-emergence. The reduction in total dry weight of weeds (6.13g/m2) and maximum weed control efficiency 95.74% was found significantly higher with weed free treatment over all the weed control treatments except pre-mix herbicide imazethapyr + imazamox at 0.05 kg/ha PoE having 12.20g/m2 weed dry weight and 91.53% weed control efficiency at 60 DAS stage of crop growth. The significantly higher seed (0.89t/ha) and straw (2.91t/ha) yield was recorded in weed free plot over all the treatments, which was followed by imazethapyr + imazamox (pre-mix) at 0.05 kg/ha as (0.84 and 2.89t/ha) and pendimethalin + imazethapyr (pre-mix) at 1.0 kg/ha (0.80 and 2.82 t/ha) treatments. However, the maximum net return of 17,135/ha and benefit:cost ratio (2.35) was found with imazethapyr + imazamox (pre-mix) at 0.05 kg/ha followed by pendimethalin + imazethapyr (pre-mix) at 1.0 kg/ha ( 16,410 and 2.30) treatment.