Paper Title
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF PRE AND POST-EMERGENCE HERBIICDES IN GROUNDNUT (ARACHIS HYPOGAEA L.)

Abstract
Background - Herbicides are generally used in agriculture to control weeds and to improve crop yield.Pendimethalin is contemporary pre-emergence herbicide used in groundnut and many other crops but it is not very effective against broadleaved weeds. Diclosulam is a novel herbicide belongs to class triazolopyrimidinesulphonamide, which is highly effective for the control of broadleaf weeds in a number of field crops.The current study aimed to improve the profitability of farmers by effectively and economically by controlling the targeted weeds. Method: A field experiment was conducted during Kharifseason of 2021at Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Hiriyurto evaluate the pre and post-emergence herbicides in groundnut.The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with ten treatments each replicated thrice. The treatments consisted of different pre-emergence herbicides with varying doses (Diclosulam 84 WDG at 20 and 25 g a.i. ha-1 and Pendimethalin 30% EC at 1.0 kg a.i. ha-1) followed by manual weeding at 30 DAS, post-emergence herbicide (Quizalofop-p-Ethyl 5 % EC 50 g a.i. ha-1) it has been compared with intercultural operations at 15 and 30 DAS fb manual weeding for intra rows and weedy check. Results: Results revealed that significantly higher weed control efficiency and lower weed index was noticed with intercultural operations at 15 and 30 DAS fb manual weeding for intra rows(90.79 and 84.32% at 30 and 60DAS, 0.00%, respectively) and inturn it recorded significantly higher pod yield (2621 kg ha-1) compared to the other treatments. Among different herbicides with different doses, Diclosulam 84 WDG at 25 g a.i. ha-1fbhand weeding at 30DAS recorded higher weed control efficiency(85.75 and 81.11 % at 30 and 60 DAS, respectively) and lower weed index (0.81%), significantly higher pod yield(2602 kg ha-1) as compared with weedy check (1114 kg ha-1). Although higher gross returns (₹ 129147ha-1) and net returns (₹ 68138 ha-1) was realized with application of Diclosulam 84 WDG at 25 g a.i. ha-1 (PE) followed by hand weeding at 30 DAS, higher B:C ratio (2.21)was noticed in treatment Diclosulam 84 WDG at 25 g a.i. ha-1fbQuizalofop-p-Ethyl 5% EC 50 g a.i. ha-1 at 20 DAS.