AbstractA field experiment was conducted during the kharif seasons of 2022 and 2023 at the Experimental Farm, School of Agriculture, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Tamil Nadu, to assess the impact of integrated weed management treatments on weeds and rhizosphere microbial populations in rice established by system rice intensification (SRI) method. Treatments included: combinations of pre-emergence application (PE) of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl and early post-emergence application (EPoE) of bispyribac-sodium, integrated with cono weeding and hand weeding. The highest weed control efficiency (WCE) of 94.6% at 60 DAT and preservation of rhizosphere microbial populations were observed with bispyribac-sodium 30 g/ha EPoE at 15 DAT followed by (fb) cono weeding at 30 and 40 days after rice transplanting (DAT). In contrast, pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 25 g/ha 25 g/ha PE reduced microbial population. It is concluded that integrated weed management, comprising bispyribac-sodium 30 g/ha EPoE at 15 DAT fb cono weeding at 30 and 40 DAT effectively managed weeds and supported soil microbial health in rice established by SRI method.
Bhagavathi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.