Investigating the Effectiveness of Various Weed Control Methods to Reduce Narrow and Broad Leaf Populations in the Oat (Avena sativa L.) Crop

Aims: It is aim to investigating the effectiveness of various weed control methods to reduce narrow and broad leaf populations in oat (Avena sativa L.) crop.

Study Design: The experiment was designed using a Randomized Block design method.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of agronomy, School of Agriculture, Abhilashi university, Chail Chowk, Mandi, India (H.P.) during the Rabi season of 2022.

Methodology: The field trail was conducted with seven treatments and replicated thrice. The investigation included seven different weed control techniques i.e. T1 - weedy check (control), T2 - weed free, T3 - one hand weeding at 25 DAS, T4 - two hand weeding at 25 DAS and 45 DAS,T5 - pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg a.i. ha-1 + one hand weeding at 25 DAS, T6 - post emergence application of atrazine @ 0.75 kg a.i. ha -1 at 35 DAS + one hand weeding at 25 DAS, T7 - post emergence metsulfuron methyl @ 0.004 kg a.i. ha -1 at 35 DAS + one hand weeding at 25 DAS.

Results: The investigation found that the most effective ways to control weeds are by keeping the area completely weed-free or by using two-hand weeding at 25 DAS and 45 DAS. T2 (weed-free), which involved keeping the area weed-free, was found to be the most successful in terms of achieving the lowest weed density and highest weed control efficiency. Two-hand weeding at 25 DAS and 45 DAS was found to be better than using herbicides to reduce weed infestation in oat crops.

Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that integrated weed management practices weed-free treatment is the most effective option for managing weeds in oats.