Productivity and Economics of Puddled and Zero-Till Non-Puddled Transplanted Winter Rice Production Systems Under Varying Weed Management Practices
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Effective weed management is critical to sustaining rice productivity and profitability, particularly under conservation-oriented production systems, where weed dynamics may differ from conventional puddled cultivation. A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate weed management practices under puddled transplanted rice (PTR) and zero-till non-puddled transplanted rice (ZT NPTR) production systems during the boro seasons of 2020 and 2021. Six weed management practices, comprising season-long weed-free, season-long weedy, Pretilachlor, Acetachlor (14%) + Bensulfuron methyl (4%), Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl, and Penoxsulam treatments, were evaluated. Weed density and dry biomass were significantly influenced by production system and weed management practice. Compared with 2020, weed density in 2021 decreased by approximately 74% at both 30 and 60 days after transplanting (DAT) under PTR and by 91% and 86%, respectively, under ZT NPTR. Similarly, weed dry biomass decreased by 90% and 86% under PTR and by 81% and 77% under ZT NPTR at 30 and 60 DAT, respectively. Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl and Penoxsulam achieved 100% weed control efficiency, comparable to the season-long weed-free treatment, whereas Pretilachlor, and Acetachlor (14%) + Bensulfuron methyl (4%) provided comparatively lower weed suppression. The ZT NPTR system increased grain yield by approximately 5% in 2020 and 35% in 2021 relative to the PTR system. Among weed management practices, Penoxsulam produced the highest or a statistically comparable grain yield and increased yield by approximately 105% and 80% over the season-long weedy treatment in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Economic analysis showed that Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl was the most profitable treatment under PTR in both years and under ZT NPTR in 2021, whereas Penoxsulam provided the greatest economic return under ZT NPTR in 2020. Overall, effective post-emergence weed management with Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl or Penoxsulam within the ZT NPTR production system provided effective weed suppression, high rice productivity, and favourable economic returns. However, because pre-plant glyphosate application was an integral component of the ZT NPTR system, the differences between the PTR and ZT NPTR systems should be interpreted as responses to the overall production systems rather than to tillage alone.
Source: Agrochemicals
Institution: Bangladesh Agricultural University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Zero hunger, Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,207
Award: G4745037550
OpenAlex ID: W7204116185