Dual-stage herbicide regimen for tackling weed menace in wheat under multiple crop establishment systems

Transitioning to maize–wheat system (MWS) in conjunction with conservation agriculture has emerged as viable option to tackle the multiple challenges of yield stagnation, environmental threats, and resource depletion under conventional puddled-transplanted rice–wheat rotation in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). However, efficient weed management and crop establishment strategies are critical to sustaining crop and resource productivity of MWS. To develop weed management options under diverse tillage systems, three crop establishment methods viz. elevated-bed + residue (EBRC), double zero-tillage + residue (DZRC), and conventional intensive tillage + residue (ITRI) in main plots and five weed management approaches, namely, pyroxasulfone (pyro; Pre-Emergence), Pyro (PE) fb metsulfuron + carfentrazone (MetCarf; Post-Emergence), sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron (SulfoMet; Post-Emergence), unweeded check (UWC), and weed-free check (WFC), were compared in a split-plot design. Reduced weed population and dry matter accumulation were noted with EBRC, relative to DZRC and ITRI. The growth and productivity of wheat remained higher in EBRC compared to DZRC, but it was at par to ITRI. Among diverse weed management options, dual-stage spray of Pyro–MetCarf substantially reduced the densities of sedges (36.7%), and narrow-leaved (64.1%) and broad-leaved (58.9%) weeds, compared to the UWC. Significantly higher weed control efficiency (80.3%), weed control index (79.4%), and lowest weed index were observed under Pyro–MetCarf combination compared to other herbicidal treatments. The same treatment also enhanced the wheat growth and yield (24.6%) over UWC and other herbicide applications. Conclusively, dual-stage herbicidal application of Pyro–MetCarf coupled with EBRC enhances wheat productivity by reducing the infestation of weeds substantially in IGP. The findings suggest that integrating dual-stage herbicidal application with EBRC offers a scalable and resource-efficient strategy for policymakers and practitioners for the wheat belt of IGP.