Authors
1
lorestan University
2
MSc. student of Weed Science, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad
3
Assistant Professor, Plant Protection Research Department, Lorestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research, and Education Center, AREEO, Khorramabad, Iran
10.22034/ijws.2024.134623
Abstract
This research aimed to assess the impact of conservation tillage systems on crop yield and weed management in a rain-fed chickpea field. The experiment was carried out as a split-plot based on a completely randomized block design with four replications in Lorestan Province during 2014-2015. The main factor included four levels (no-tillage (NT) without glyphosate, NT with glyphosate, reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT)), while the sub-factor comprised five levels: pre-emergent herbicides pyroxasulfone, flumioxazin, metribuzin, hand-weeding treatment, and unweeded control. Results showed that applying glyphosate under NT conditions led to the greatest reduction in weed density and biomass by 53.6% and 72.4%, respectively, during mid-season growth. The highest average yield of chickpeas was recorded in the RT treatment, CT, and NT with glyphosate, at 206.8, 192.4, and 180.3 kg. ha-1, respectively. Among the herbicide-based treatments, the greatest increases in grain yield were observed in the two-stage hand-weeding under reduced tillage (382.7 kg ha⁻¹) and the pyroxasulfone herbicide treatment (189.3 kg ha⁻¹), representing 212% and 54.8% increases over the control, respectively. Pyroxasulfone, flumioxazin, and metribuzin were the most effective herbicides for weed control, demonstrating 49%, 41.7%, and 8.6% effectiveness, respectively, compared to the control. These results indicate that RT could serve as a viable alternative to CT in rain-fed chickpea fields.
Keywords
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