Comparative performance of puddled and zero till non-puddled transplant boro rice under different weed management practices

The experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to evaluate the yield of boro rice influenced by transplanting systems and different weed manage- ment practices. The experiment comprised two transplanting systems viz., (i) puddled transplanted rice (PTR) and (ii) zero till non-puddled transplanted rice (ZT-NPTR), and five weed management practices viz., (i) weedy, (ii) weed free, (iii) farmers’ practice (3 manual weeding), (iv) application of pre-emergence herbicide Pretilachlor, and (v) application of post-emergence herbicide Penoxsulam. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. Twelve weed species belonging to four families infested the experimental plots. Transplanting systems and weed management practices exerted significant influence on yield attributes and yield of boro rice. At 60 days after transplanting (DAT), maximum weed dry biomass (184.11 g m−2) was found in weedy practices of ZT-NPTR, while the highest weed density (143 m−2) was obtained from the weedy plots of PTR. The highest number of effective tillers hill−1 (15.60), grains panicle−1 (125), 1000-grain weight (22.50 g), grain (4.78 t ha−1) and straw (5.16 t ha−1) yield was obtained from the weed free plots of PTR. The grain yield was at par with pre- and post-emergence herbicide applied plots of PTR, and farmers’ practice and post-emergence herbicide applied plots of ZT-NPTR. The maximum gross return (185650 Tk. ha−1), net return (79833 Tk. ha−1) and BCR (1.75) were obtained from the application of post-emergence herbicide Penoxsulam in ZT-NPTR system compared to other practices. Although, maximum grain yield was obtained from PTR under weed free condition, in terms of both grain yield and economic view point ZT-NPTR with post- emergence herbicide application might be an alternative way for sustainable crop production and weed management practices.