EFFECT OF LOW DOSE EARLY POST EMERGENCE READY-MIX HERBICIDE ON COMPLEX WEED FLORA, GROWTH AND YIELD OF TRANSPLANTED RICE CROP

Present study was carried out to evaluate the bio-efficacy of ready-mix herbicide fenoxaprop (5%) + Chlorimuron (0.6%) + Pretilachlor (50%) ME against complex weed flora in transplanted rice (cv. Sahbaghi) at Agricultural Farm, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati, West Bengal, India during 2017 and 2018. There were ten weed management treatments. The transplanted rice field was infested with grassy weeds like Echinochloa crus-galli and Panicum repens, sedges like Cyperus iria, Cyperus difformis, Fimbristylis miliacae and Cyperus rotundus and broad leaved weeds like Eclipta alba, Ludwigia parviflora, Marsilea quadrifolia and Monochoria vaginalis. The results revealed that ready-mix application of fenoxaprop (5%) + Chlorimuron (0.6%) + Pretilachlor (50%) ME at 1200 and 1000 ml ha-1 gave higher weed control efficiency against grassy weeds, broad leaved weeds and sedges. Both doses of fenoxaprop + chlorimuron + pretilachlor were better than chlorimuron ethyl, fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, pretilachlor and pyrazosulfuron ethyl. Fenoxaprop + Chlorimuron + Pretilachlor at 1200 ml ha-1 and 1000 ml ha-1  resulted into the higher plant height, number of filled grain panicle-1, panicle length and grain yield (6301 and 6274 kg ha-1). Both were superior to its lower doses (800 ml ha-1) and chlorimuron ethyl, fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, pretilachlor and pyrazosulfuron ethyl during both the years. Weeds allowed to grow throughout the crop season reduced the grain yield to the extent of 33.9%.