Carfentrazone-ethyl, Direct-seeded rice, nutrient uptake, weed management

A field experiment was conducted at Varanasi to study the effect of different rates of carfentrazone-ethyl for controlling weeds in rice. Major weed flora were: Echinochloa colona, Echinochloa crussgalli, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Caesulia axillaris, Ammania baccifera, Eclipta alba and Phyllanthus niruri. Application of carfentrazone-ethyl at 35 g/ha effectively reduced the density, dry matter accumulation and N, P, K depletion by weeds, and recorded the highest weed control efficiency. It also enhanced the growth parameters, grain and straw yield, nutrient uptake by the crop. Herbicides ethoxysulfuron at 15 g/ha, metsulfuron at 4 g/ha and carfentrazone at 15-35 g/ha applied as post-emergence and pendimethalin at 1.0 kg/ha as pre-emergence recorded higher values of yield attributes and yield.