Azolla, Non-chemical weed management, Rice residues, Weed control efficiency

A field experiment was conducted during Navarai season (Jan–April 2024) at Annamalai University to evaluate the efficacy and identify non-chemical weed management options for enhancing the productivity of transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with twelve treatments and three replications. The tested treatments include: hand weeding; cono-weeding; and incorporation of: rice residues (straw, husk, husk ash, bran), Azolla, and tree leaves (neem, pongamia, mango, sapota) in different combinations. Hand weeding twice at 15 and 35 days after transplanting (DAT) recorded the higher weed control efficiency (87.86%) and highest rice grain yield. Azolla 250 kg/ha applied 3 DAT followed by cono-weeding on 35 DAT was on par with hand weeding twice, in recording higher gross return, net return and B: C ratio.