K.A. REKHASREE*, P. MAHESWARA REDDY, S. TIRUMALA REDDY, M. MADHAN MOHAN AND V. CHANDRIKA

Department of Agronomy, S.V. Agricultural College, ANGRAU, Tirupati-517 502.

ABSTRACT

Field experiment entitled “Weed management in rabi sesamum (Sesamum indicum L.)” was conducted in sandy loam soils during rabi 2024-25 at S.V. Agricultural College Farm, Tirupati in randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. The experiment comprised of ten treatments. Considering all the weed management approaches evaluated, the higher uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium by sesame crop, higher dry matter production and seed yield of sesame were recorded with hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAS which was comparable to pre-emergence application of pyroxasulfone 85% WG @ 125 g ha-1 fb quizalofop-p-ethyl @ 50 g ha-1 at 20 DAS. Significantly lower uptake of nutrients, lower dry matter production and seed yield of sesame were recorded with weedy check. The lowest weed dry weight and uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium by weeds were recorded with hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAS which was at par with pre-emergence application of pyroxasulfone 85% WG @ 125 g ha-1 fb quizalofop-p-ethyl @ 50 g ha-1 at 20 DAS. The nutrient loss due to weeds in unweeded check was 46.1, 18.7 and 35.5 kg ha-1 nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively.

KEYWORDS: Sesame, weeds, herbicides, hand weeding, nutrient uptake.