Effect of weed-management practices on weed dynamics, yield, and economics of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) in black calcareous soil

A field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2012 and 2013 on Vertisols at Junagadh, Gujarat to study the effects of pre-and post-emergence herbicides, alone or integrated with manual/mechanical weeding on weed pressure, productivity and economic returns of kharif groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Pendimethalin @ 0.9 kg/ha as pre-emergence (PE) + imazethapyr @ 75 g/ha as post-emergence (PoE) herbi- cides 20 days after sowing (DAS) resulted in significantly higher growth attributes, yield attributes and yield, qual- ity parameters, and net returns over the unweeded control, and was found at par with hand-weeding and inter-cul- turing at 20 and 40 DAS, and pendimethalin @ 0.9 kg/ha as pre-emergence + hand-weeding and inter-culturing at 40 DAS. However, significantly highest NPK in soil after crop harvest was recorded with oxadiargyl @ 90 g/ha as PoE at 20 DAS + hand-weeding and inter-culturing at 40 DAS.