INFLUENCE OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE AND POST-EMERGENCE HERBICIDES ON WEED CONTROL AND COTTON YIELD UNDER WHEAT-COTTON SYSTEM

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of cotton under three tillage systems, viz., ZT, RT and CT; and five herbicides, i.e., haloxyfop-R-methyl 10.8 EC (108 g a.i. ha-1), lactofen 24 EC (168 g a.i. ha-1), haloxyfop 10.8 EC + lactofen 24 EC, hand weeding, and weedy check during 2017 and 2018 at Cotton Research Station, D.I.Khan, Pakistan, and to explore the best management option for effective weed control and enhanced yield of cotton grown after wheat. The results revealed that hand weeding and Floxyfop as post emergence alone or in combination with Lactofen reduced weed density and weed biomass to the minimum irrespective of the tillage systems. Haloxyfop + lactofen produced higher seed cotton yield in RT than ZT and CT. Maximum weed population reduction percentage was recorded under haloxyfop+ lactofen. Broad-spectrum herbicides × RT produced the highest seed cotton yield. Weed density and weed biomass were also lowest in broad-spectrum herbicides × RT. In conclusion, broad-spectrum herbicides under RT were more effective in wheat based cropping system of D.I.Khan. It is concluded from present data that reduced tillage is more productive than zero tillage and conventional tillage and conservation tillage may improve yield of cotton in addition to improvement in soil quality if severe weeds are not infesting the crop.