Wheat Crop Production Research Articles

Energy Consumption in Wheat Crop Production in Central Region of Uttar Pradesh, India

The research investigated energy usage in the production of wheat crops in the central region of Uttar Pradesh, India among different groups of farmers. The study involved surveying a total of 250 farmers from 59 villages, gathering data about various inputs utilized in wheat crop cultivation during the period of 2020-22. Using standard energy equivalents, the inputs required for wheat production were quantified in terms of energy. The findings indicated that the overall energy input for wheat production in the region amounted to 20497.1 MJ/ha, with fertilizers, fuel, and seeds contributing to 85% of this energy consumption. Specifically, fertilizers represented 50.2% of the total energy, followed by fuel at 22.6%. The study also revealed that larger and medium-scale farmers utilized more energy compared to those with smaller landholdings, but they also achieved higher grain yields. Among different farming operations, energy usage was highest in fertilizer application, followed by tillage. The average output-to-input energy ratio was calculated at 3.02. Additionally, this ratio differed among farmer categories: 3.26 for large farmers, 3.15 for medium farmers, 3.14 for semi-medium farmers, 3.11 for small farmers, and 2.95 for marginal category farmers. In conclusion, the research established a positive correlation between energy consumption and crop yield.

Energy Input and Output se Pattern in Wheat Crop Production System in South Western Zones of Punjab, India

Energy Input and Output se Pattern in Wheat Crop Production System in South Western Zones of Punjab, India

Drought Priming and Subsequent Irrigation Water Regimes Enhanced Grain Yield and Water Productivity of Wheat Crop

The most important factor impacting wheat production is water stress that occurs during the reproductive growth stage. Therefore, the plant responses and water productivity as affected by drought priming were investigated during Rabi seasons 2021 and 2022. The field trials were conducted in the research field of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. The Hamal-BNS wheat variety was subjected to differing irrigation water regime levels (40%, 50% and 60% of soil water holding capacity, SWHC) after being subjected to drought priming, irrigation water recovery (water closure period) and drought priming. There were six treatments: (1) DPP-40 (drought priming plants at 40% of SWHC), (2) DPP-50, (3) DPP-60, (4) CTP-40 (controlled treated plants at 40% of SWHC), (5) CTP-50 and (6) CTP-60. During the experiment period, soil moisture content was significantly affected by the different treatments at various growth stages of wheat. The results indicated that winter wheat pre-exposed to drought priming attained a stress imprint that improved the subsequent deficit water levels which occurred during the later plant growth stage as demonstrated by the progress of test weight, grain yield, plant level water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency as well as relative yield compared to CTP-50 (control treatment). Under the irrigation water regime levels during the post-anthesis period, primed wheat plants sustained grain yield and higher relative yield than wheat plants without priming due to the better irrigation water regime for drought-primed wheat plants. Similarly, primed wheat plants consumed 18.3% less irrigation water as compared to non-primed plants, which significantly increased plant level WUE and irrigation WUE and decreased dry biomass and root development of drought-primed wheat plants. Therefore, to conserve fresh water for other field crops and increase water productivity in the Sindh province, it is recommended that drought priming is used during the early growth period of wheat plants as a successful irrigation method.

Response of Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth Parameters of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

A field study was carried out at Agronomy farm of faculty of the Agriculture, Mangalayatan University, Jabalpur (M.P.) during Rabi season 2022 to evaluate Response of Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth Parameters of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment was comprised of twelve treatments combination of T1 (Control (100%)), T2 (50% RDF), T3 (Azotobacter +100% RDF), T4 (FYM + 100% RDF), T5 (PSB +100% RDF), T6 (50% RDF + Azotobacter), T7 (50% RDF + FYM), T8 (50% RDF + PSB), T9 (50% RDF + Azotobacter + FYM), T10 (50% RDF + Azotobacter + PSB), T11 (50% RDF + FYM) + PSB) and T12 (50% RDF + Azotobacter + FYM+ PSB) in RBD replicated thrice. The wheat variety LOK-1 was taken during investigation. On the basis of findings, it is concluded that treatment T4 (Farm yard manure (FYM) + 100% RDF) proved to be most efficient in wheat crop production and produced better results in essence with growth parameters compared over other treatments.

Enhancing wheat crop production with eco-friendly chitosan encapsulated nickel oxide nanocomposites: A safe and sustainable solution for higher yield

In this work, we looked at using nickel oxide (NiO) nanocomposites with chitosan encapsulation as a nano-primer to improve wheat crop output. A straightforward green precipitation procedure was used to create the nanocomposites, and they were then characterized using several methods. According to the findings, the chitosan-encapsulated NiO nanocomposites possessed a large surface area and were resilient to changes in pH. Following this, wheat seeds were primed with the nanocomposites, and under greenhouse circumstances, the impact on crop growth was assessed. The findings demonstrated that, in comparison to the control group, nanocomposites priming considerably enhanced wheat growth and germination rate up to 99 %. In comparison to untreated plants, the wheat plants treated with the nanocomposites primer had greater plant height i.e. shoot length (11.4 cm) and root length (10.3 cm), leaf area, and biomass accumulation. Further research into the mechanism underlying the priming effect of nanocomposites on wheat growth revealed that the nanocomposites enhanced nutrient absorption, photosynthesis, and stress tolerance in wheat plants. In conclusion, our research shows that chitosan-encapsulated NiO nanocomposites have the potential to improve wheat crop productivity in an environmentally benign and long-term manner, offering a viable strategy for sustainable farming.

Nano-Biochar Enhances Wheat Crop Productivity by Vindicating the Effects of Drought: In Relation to Physiological and Phenological Stages.

Climatic changes are major hindrances to crop productivity. Likewise, water scarcity is the major obstacle during different physiological and phenological stages, which ultimately reduces the wheat crop yield. So, there is a dire need to adopt modern approaches such as soil amendments, i.e., using nano-biochar (NBC) to boost soil health and wheat crop productivity. Therefore, a case study was performed in the wire house of the Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Islamia University of Bahawalpur. CRD (completely randomized design) with four treatments of NBC, i.e., NBC0 (control), NBC1 (0.5%), NBC2 (1.00%), NBC3 (1.5%), and four drought levels D0 = control, D1 = drought at tillering, D2 = drought at flowering, and D3 = drought at grain filling was used. The hypothesis for the case study was to investigate if the NBC increases crop productivity by boosting physiological and chemical attributes under different drought conditions at different phenological stages. Results showed that among NBC treatments, NBC2 (1.00%) showed 37.10% increase in peroxidase activity, 28.60% in superoxide dismutase, 63.33% in catalase, 22.03% in ascorbate peroxidase, and 6.66% in plant height as compared to other NBC treatments, whereas among drought treatments, D0 = control stood out in comparison to water deficit treatments at critical growth and development stages, statistically analyzed data revealed that D0 was able to generate plant height 6.17 times more, 12.76% in the number of grains per spike, 4.60% in osmotic potential, and 2.96% in stomatal conductance activities of wheat crop. D3 and NBC0 were identified as treatment levels with the statistically lowest growth and yield returns, respectively. It showed a decrease of 4.69% in leaf relative water contents, 12.33% in water potential, and 23.64% in fertile tillers. It was recommended that drought is avoided at any critical growth, particularly at the grain-filling stage. The use of organic substances (fertilizers) must be promoted as they possess soil and crop health-promoting properties and also reduce different management expenses (fertilizer cost). Using NBC helps boost crop growth in the presence of a limited water supply. However, extensive research is needed to find out the impact of these organic substances (humic acid, farmyard manure, and NBC) on different crops, particularly on wheat, under stress conditions.

Assessment of climatic impact on growth and production of rice (Kharif) and wheat (Rabi) using geospatial technology over Haryana

Global climate change could have a substantial negative influence on Indian agriculture and becoming more common and intense growing as a result of food security. Indeed, the examination of weather variability on agricultural growth and production is always complex. The weather variability impact on agricultural growth and production has been evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis among various weather variables (minimum temperature, maximum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and rainfall), vegetation indices (NDVI and LAI) and crop yield (wheat and rice) on yearly and monthly basis for the time period from the year 1991 to 2020 in the present study. Initially, the temporal behavior of weather variables and vegetation indices have been explored on the monthly and yearly time scale for the long term (1991-2020) along with crop yield over Indian state of Haryana. After that a Pearson correlation analysis have been carried out among the weather variables, vegetation indices and crop yield on monthly and yearly time scale, individually to understand the relationship of NDVI-weather and LAI- weather along with the long-term weather impact on agricultural production. A significant correlation is found between NDVI- weather and LAI- weather on monthly and yearly basis. The positive impact of the temperature, relative humidity and rainfall is found on the rice crop production, while the wind speed showed the negative impact on the rice crop production during the Kharif season in Haryana state of India during the years 1998-2018. In case of wheat crop (Rabi season), the minimum temperature, rainfall and relative humidity supports the wheat crop production, while the maximum temperature and wind speed showed the negative impact on the wheat yield in Haryana during the years 1998-2018. Overall, this study has found the annual increase in wheat crop yield approximately 0.044 tons per hectare, and rice crop yield 0.029 tons per hectare.

The Influence of Short-Term Tillage, Compost, and Beneficial Microbes on Soil Properties and the Productivity of Wheat and Cowpea Crops

Tillage systems comprise physical, chemical, and biological modification processes that influence soil properties. Soil cultivation aims to create favorable conditions for the development and growth of crops, as evident in their yields. Three growing seasons (winter 2019/2020 (wheat), summer 2020 (cowpea), and winter 2020/2021 (wheat)) were studied in field experiments in Sidi Salem, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt, to investigate the effects of soil tillage and the application of organic and beneficial microbes on various biological, chemical, and physical properties of soil and its productivity. Three replicates of the experimental treatments were set up in a split-plot design, in which there were four main plots: conventional soil tillage (ST) treatment for all three seasons (ST1); tillage in the first and second seasons (ST2); tillage only in the first season (ST3); and no tillage for all three seasons (ST4). However, the subplots (soil additives) were conditioned as follows: without treatment (control, T1); compost (C, T2); beneficial microorganisms (BM, T3); and combination (C + BM, T4). The biological property results showed that ST4T4 treatment produced high levels of microbial communities (bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes), as well as high levels of soil enzyme activity (dehydrogenase, urease, and phosphatase), during the three growing seasons. However, the second season produced high numbers and dry weights of cowpea plants’ nodules. Additionally, changes in the chemical and physical properties showed that the application of various soil tillage treatments during the examined seasons led to significant increases in electrical conductivity (ECe, dSm−1), bulk density (BD, kg m−3), and soil infiltration rate (IR, cm h−1), following the trend of ST4 > ST3 > ST2 > ST1. In contrast, the results revealed decreases in the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP, %), porosity (PO, %), soil aggregates (stable aggregates and optimal-sized aggregates, %), and soil penetration resistance (SPRa, Mpa). The combination treatment (ST4T4) provided the best yields, with grain yields of 4.991 and 5.325 tons ha−1 and straw yields of 5.214 and 5.338 tons ha−1 in the first and third seasons (wheat), respectively. Cowpea plants showed the same pattern in the second season. Therefore, improvements in soil properties and enhancements in biological activity help maintain its productivity and fertility through simplified tillage processes that reduce interference with the soil surface layer.

A Study on Agricultural Mechanization Status under Paddy and Wheat Crop Production in Central Region of Uttar Pradesh, India

The technological progress in agricultural machinery since the mid-1960s has led to a revolutionary increase in crop yield in India. Northern states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (especially the western and central region have experienced rapid growth in the adoption of mechanized farming practices. A study was conducted to evaluate the present state of farm mechanization in four districts of Uttar Pradesh. The average farm power accessible in this area was recorded at 2.05 kWha-1, surpassing the national average (1.9 kW/ha). The lowest mechanization index in wheat crop was observed in plant protection operations (20.6%) whereas highest mechanization index was observed in harrowing operation (94.2%). Similarly, in paddy crop, the lowest mechanization index was observed in transplanting operations (0%) whereas highest mechanization index was observed in harrowing harrowing and puddling operations (99%).With the exception of tasks like transplanting paddy and ensuring pest control in rice and wheat cultivation, almost all stages of crop production employed tractor-driven machinery. The primary obstacle observed in farm mechanization in the region was the lack of timely access to farming equipment.

Effect of different irrigation water regimes on water productivity of wheat crop

Effect of different irrigation water regimes on water productivity of wheat crop

Effect of Co-Application of Azospirillum brasilense and Rhizobium pisi on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress.

Water management techniques are improving at the farm level, but they are not enough to deal with the limited availability of water and increased crop yields. Soil microbes play a vital role in nitrogen fixation, improving soil fertility and enhancing plant growth hormones under drought conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of water management combined with Azospirillum brasilense and Rhizobium pisi on wheat crop productivity and soil properties in dry regions. Three water management techniques were compared, normal irrigation as a control (C), deficit irrigation (DI), and partial root drying irrigation (PRD), together with the interaction of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Experiments were conducted with six treatments in total: T1 = C + No PGPR, T2 = C + PGPR, T3 = DI + No PGPR, T4 = DI + PGPR, T5 = PRD + No PGPR, and T6 = PRD + PGPR. The highest grain yield was achieved in the control irrigation treatment using seeds inoculated with rhizobacteria, followed by control treatment without any inoculation, and the lowest was recorded with deficit irrigation without rhizobacteria inoculated in the seeds. However, PRD irrigation resulted in significantly higher plant growth and grain yield than the DI treatment. PGPR inoculation combined with PRD resulted in a 22% and 20% higher number of grains per spike, a 19% and 21% higher grain yield, and a 25% and 22% higher crop growth rate compared to rhizobacteria inoculation combined with the DI system in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. This increase was due to the higher production of growth hormones and higher leaf area index under water-limited conditions. A greater leaf area index leads to a higher chlorophyll content and higher food production for plant growth.

Investigating the impact of terminal heat stress on contrasting wheat cultivars: a comprehensive analysis of phenological, physiological, and biochemical traits.

Terminal heat stress has become one of the major threats due to global climate change which is significantly affecting the production and productivity of wheat crop. Therefore, it is necessary to identify key traits and genotypes to breed heat-tolerant wheat. The present study was undertaken with the objective of comparing the effects of heat stress (HSE) and extended heat stress (EHSE) on phenological-physio-biochemical traits of contrasting heat-tolerant and heat-susceptible genotypes during the reproductive phase. Phenological traits exhibited significant reduction under EHSE compared to HSE. Heat-tolerant genotypes maintained balanced phenological-physio-biochemical traits, while heat-sensitive genotypes showed significant reductions under both stress regimes. Among phenological traits, DM (R2=0.52) and BY (R2=0.44) have shown a positive effect on seed yield, indicating that biomass and crop duration contributed to the yield advantage under stress. During the grain filling stage, both the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and chlorophyll (Chl) exhibited consistently positive impacts on grain yield under both HSE and EHSE conditions. This could be attributed to the enhanced photosynthesis resulting from delayed senescence and improved assimilate remobilization under terminal heat stress. The biochemical activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) was induced in tolerant genotypes under HSE. The correlation of canopy temperature with phenological-physio-biochemical traits remained static under HSE and EHSE, suggesting CT as the best selection parameter for heat tolerance. The traits showing a positive association with yield and that are less affected under stress could be used for selecting tolerant genotypes under stress environments. These tolerant genotypes can be used to develop mapping populations to decipher the genes conferring tolerance as well as to study the molecular basis of tolerance.

Impact of varying doses and application methods of metribuzin on productivity and profitability of wheat (Triticum aestivum) under different tillage systems

Addressing the imperative of aligning food production with the escalating global population necessitates the identification of sustainable land management strategies. In the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India, weed infestation causes a significant threat to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) productivity. To address this concern, a field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) seasons of 2021–22 and 2022–23 at the research farm of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Rice Research Station, Kaul, Haryana. The primary objective of this experiment was to assess the effects of varying doses and application methods of metribuzin on the productivity and profitability of wheat crop under zero and conventional tillage systems. Notably, the application of post-emergence (POE) metribuzin at a dose of 350 g/ha as a urea-mix broadcast at 35 days after sowing (DAS) in combination with pinoxaden (PDN) exhibited notablebenefits in terms of productivity and economic viability of wheat. This treatment yielded significantly higher number of effective tillers/mrl (111 in zero tillage; 112 in conventional tillage) and grain yield (5,573 kg/ha in zero tillage; 5,972 kg/ha in conventional tillage). Moreover, the treatment combination of metribuzin at 350 g/ha as a urea-mix broadcast and pinoxaden applied at 35 DAS resulted in the highest net returns and benefit-cost ratio under both tillage systems.

Unraveling the physiological and molecular mechanisms regulating grain yield under combined drought and heat stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

An experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) seasons of 2020–21 and 2021–22 at the research farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to assess the impacts of heat and drought stresses, both individually and combined, on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants during the reproductive stage. Four wheat genotypes (C306, HD2967, Raj3765 and WL711) were subjected to heat stress (H), drought stress (D) and combined heat, and drought stress (HD) conditions at the anthesis stage. The research investigated various physiological, biochemical and grain yield parameters, as well as the relative expression of genes involved in the proline and abscisic acid (ABA) metabolic pathways. Among the tested genotypes, Raj3765 exhibited decreased ABA levels and increased proline accumulation during the anthesis stage under both individual and combined stress conditions. Notably, Raj3765 also displayed highergrain yield compared to the other 3 genotypes under all stress conditions, indicating that elevated proline levels and reduced ABA levels likely contributed to its resilience. Furthermore, the study revealed that the combination of heat and drought stresses had a more severe detrimental effect on wheat plants compared to individual stress treatments. These findings underscore the significance of comprehensively studying combined stress conditions, as they can result in substantial yield losses in wheat crop development and productivity.

Capabilities of wheat crop farmers in the selected war zones in Afghanistan

Wheat is Afghanistan's principal food crop, and sustaining its production is critical to guaranteeing food security and self-sufficiency. Wheat crops contributed approximately 60% to 75% of total calorie consumption in the country. However, as a country that has been at war since 1978, it has been difficult for the wheat production enterprise to keep up with demand in order to feed the population. In order to be resilient in their operations and grow in the face of conflict and war, the players in this industry may have to withstand, survive and adapt to different situations and phenomena within the conflict and war conditions as compared to the normal wheat production context in the peaceful countries. Hence, the objective of this research is to look into the capabilities of the parties involved in wheat crop production in a prolonged war zone. This research was based on a qualitative case study. Interviews, observations, and documents were used to gather the necessary information, which was then analyzed using thematic analysis. This study revealed that ten out of fourteen capability constructs of resilience framework were applicable while four were not applicable in a war zone. This study also found some specific capabilities that wheat crop farmers possess and enable them to produce wheat crops in war conditions. This study provided new information regarding farmers’ capabilities in agriculture production in a war zone.

GENETIC ANALYSIS AND EXPRESSION PROFILING OF TAHSP90A TRANSCRIPTS CONFER HEAT TOLERANCE IN WHEAT

Heat stress has emerged as a chief problem impeding wheat crop productivity. In several crops, specific HSP90A genes have intensively managed induced fluctuations in temperature. A wheat plant with TaHSP90A transcripts had the potential to cope with temperature stress. It enables plants to survive in transient extremes of temperature and under heat stress. The presented study design enhanced temperature tolerance plasticity with high yield in wheat through a line × tester mating design containing lines (12) and testers (4) having a differential expression of TaHSP90A transcripts (TraesCS2A02G033700.1, TraesCS5B02G258900.3, and TraesCS5D02G268000.2), then hybridized to get the F1 (48) wheat hybrids. For heat treatment, temperature raising was only in the daytime, through the tunnel at anthesis (for two weeks). Data recording for several morphological and physiological parameters went along with the relative expression of TaHSP90A transcripts for hybrid evaluation. After one hour of heat treatment, the relative expression of TaHSP90A transcripts’ determination in the flag leaf followed. The manifestation of TaHSP90A transcripts’ upregulation was two folds in several hybrids after heat treatment. Best lines, testers, and selected crosses having TaHSP90A transcripts with high yield and heat tolerance compared with parents can further benefit breeding programs aiming toward tolerance against heat stress in changing climate scenarios.

Effect of various foliar applied micronutrients (Zn+Fe+Cu+B) on growth and yield of wheat under Faisalabad condition

The field trail was conducted at agronomy farm, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan during winter 2020-21, to observe the response of micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Cu and B) on the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Micronutrients play an important role in the crop production of wheat. Micronutrients deficiency is a major issue which decrease the wheat yield and also deteriorate the quality of the grains. The experiment was comprised of foliar spray of M0 (Control), M1 (Zn), M2 (Fe), M3 (Cu), M4 (B), M5 (Zn + Fe), M6 (Zn + Cu), M7 (Zn + B), M8 (Zn + Fe + Cu + B) treatments with three repetitions and the net plot size was be 3 m × 5 m. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used. Sowing was done by broadcast sowing method, with a seed rate of 125 kg/ha. The fertilizer was applied @ 116:86:65 N:P:K kg/ha, respectively. In this study, an attempt was made to check foliar-applied micronutrients effect on growth stages, yield and yield-components of wheat. The results were evaluated statistically using Fisher's analysis of variance, and the treatment means were compared using Tukey's HSD test at a 5% probability level. The experiment results revealed that micronutrients application at booting stage significantly improved the performance of wheat crop and grain yield. Micronutrients application has a non-significant effect on plant height and number of productive tillers. Among different micronutrient combinations, the (Zn+Fe+Cu+B) treatment combination substantially improved the spike length (cm), No. of spikelets, number of grains, 1000-grain weight (g), grain yield (t ha-1) and Harvest index (%). It can be concluded that (Zn+Fe+Cu+B) have significant effects on yield parameters as compared to other treatments.

Effect of Irrigation Schedule and Organic Fertilizer on Wheat Yield, Nutrient Uptake, and Soil Moisture in Northwest India

Indiscriminate and injudicious application of inorganic fertilizers and irrigation, respectively, cause declines in crop productivity as well as environmental pollution. Therefore, judicious use of organic manures and proper scheduling of irrigation are required for sustainable production of wheat crops. A two-year (2014–2015 and 2015–2016) study was conducted to determine the wheat nutrient uptake, soil moisture, and grain yield as a result of organic manures and irrigation schedule. The experiment was set up with four treatments of organic manure in four subplots with repellents and five irrigation planning treatments in the main plot. The results showed that an irrigation/water ratio of 0.9 irrigation water depth/cumulative pan evaporation (I2) increased grain yield, soil moisture content, and nutrient uptake of wheat (I3) compared to 0.6 IW/CPE during the vegetative period and 0.8 IW/CPE during the reproductive period. According to statistics, it was found that the vegetative period is maintained at 0.8 IW/CPE, and the reproductive period is maintained at 1.0 IW/CPE (I5). Applying 7.5 Mg ha−1 of farmyard manure (FYM) plus 3 Mg ha−1 of vermicompost while employing organic manure increases grain output, soil moisture content, and nutrient content and absorption compared to the control treatment. Therefore, it is concluded that irrigation either at I2 or I5 + FYM at 7.5 Mg ha−1 + vermicompost at 3 Mg ha−1 could be recommended for enhancing grain of wheat cultivation, particularly in the semiarid regions of northwestern India.

Efficacy of Herbicides on Weed Control & Growth Parameter on Wheat

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a globally significant crop and a staple food for millions of people. Weed infestation is one of the major constraints affecting wheat productivity worldwide. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of Carfentrazone ethyl 5% + Clodinafop propargyl 15% DF as a post-emergence herbicide against predominant weeds in wheat crops. Wheat is a globally significant crop and a staple food for millions of people. Weed infestation is a major constraint affecting wheat productivity. The study was conducted using a Randomized Block Design with three replications and a total of 11 treatments. The herbicide treatments were applied using foliar spray at different doses. Weed control efficiency was evaluated at 30, 45, and 60 days after herbicide application.
 The results showed that the highest weed control efficiency was observed in the weed-free plot, followed by the treatment with Carfentrazone ethyl 5% + Clodinafop propargyl 15% DF at a dose of 800 g/ha. This treatment provided significant control against different weed species such as Phalaris minor, Avena ludoviciana, and Chenopodium album. The herbicide treatments showed varying degrees of control efficiency, with some treatments performing better than others.
 These findings highlight the importance of weed management for increasing wheat crop production. The judicious use of herbicides, such as Carfentrazone ethyl 5% + Clodinafop propargyl 15% DF, can effectively control weeds and contribute to higher yields. However, further research and field trials are necessary to optimize the herbicide application and determine its long-term effects on wheat crops. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for effective weed control strategies to enhance wheat productivity and meet the demands of a growing population.

Efficacy of Halauxifen-methyl + Florasulam against Complex Weeds in Wheat under Kymore Plateau and Satpura Hill Zone of Madhya Pradesh, India

Wheat crop is inhabited by several monocot and dicot weeds which have posed a major problem in wheat crop production. These weeds not only reduce the quality and quantity of the produce but also increase the cost of production. There management therefore becomes crucial with the help of proper combination of herbicides considering the bottlenecks of mechanical methods. Thus, a field experiment was conducted in the Rabi season of 2016-2017 at the research farm of Department of Agronomy, JNKVV, Jabalpur. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with ten treatments including eight herbicidal combinations with hand weeding at 30 DAS and weedy check and replicated thrice. Various observations on weed and crop growth parameters, yield, and economics were made. The results indicated that the application of halauxifen-methyl + florasulam at 10.20 g/ha significantly reduced the weed density and dry weight, increased the plant height, number of tillers and leaf area index as compared to all other herbicidal treatments with an exception to hand weeding. It also enhanced the grain and straw yield (5810.12 kg/ha and 7103.75 kg/ha). The application of halauxifen-methyl + florasulam at 10.20 g/ha recorded highest net monetary returns (104555 Rs/ha) and resulted in maximum benefit with a B:C ratio of 3.8. Thus, this could be promising technology for controlling weeds in wheat crop.