Journal of Biology and Nature

An experiment was conducted at Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam, to evaluate the efficiency of pre and post-emergence herbicides for weed management; their effect on growth, yield and economics on sesame crop. The experiment was laid out in RBD with nine treatments and three replications. The major weed in the experiment field was Melochia corchorifolia (Chocolate weed). Among the different weed management practices mechanical weeding with wheel hoe weeder at 15 and 30 DAS (T₇) recorded the highest plant height and seed yield which was identical with PE pendimethalin 500 g ha^-1 + mechanical weeding with wheel hoe weeder at 25 DAS (T₆), PE pendimethalin 500 g ha^-1 + carfentrazone ethyl 20 g ha^-1 at 25 DAS (T₄) and Hand hoe weeding at 15 and 30 DAS (T₈). At 60 DAS the lowest density of weeds was observed in PE pendimethalin 500 g ha^-1 + carfentrazone ethyl 20 g ha^-1 at 25 DAS (T₄) (31.82 no.m^{- 2}) and it was at par with mechanical weeding with wheel hoe weeder at 15 and 30 DAS (T₇). The treatment PE pendimethalin 500 g ha^-1 + mechanical weeding with wheel hoe weeder at 25 DAS (T₆) resulted in the highest net returns and B:C ratio of (Rs. 37,070 ha^-1 and 2.09 respectively) which was found to be identical with PE pendimethalin 500 g ha^-1 + carfentrazone ethyl 20 g ha^-1 at 25 DAS (T₄) and mechanical weeding with wheel hoe weeder at 15 and 30 DAS (T₇).