Smart herbicide practices can boost rice yield: PAU experts

With rice sowing and transplanting now complete across Punjab, farmers are turning to herbicides to manage weed infestations in their fields. Experts from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have issued detailed recommendations to ensure safe and effective weed control, emphasising the importance of correct weed identification and precise herbicide application.

Makhan Singh Bhullar, director of extension education, advised that PAU recommended novlect 12 EC (florpyrauxifen-benzyl cyhalofop-butyl) at 500 mL/acre, applied 20-25 days after sowing, to target a wide range of weeds, including swank, paddy mothas, chini/ghora gha, gandi wala motha, and other broadleaf varieties.

For fields infested only with swank and paddy mothas, nominee gold 10 SC (bispyribac sodium) at 100 mL/acre is suggested. In cases dominated by grass weeds such as madhana, chini gha, chiri gha, and takri gha, ricestar 6.7 EC (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl) at 400 mL/acre is recommended as a post-emergence treatment.

Bhullar stressed that timing and dosage were critical. “Applying herbicides beyond the sensitive 2-4 leaf stage of weeds may result in poor control, even with recommended products.”

Hari Ram, head of the department of agronomy, cautioned against unapproved tank-mixing of herbicides.

“This practice not only raises input costs but can also cause crop damage and ineffective weed control,” he warned.

The farmers are urged to follow university guidelines and avoid self-prescribed combinations and apply the weed-specific recommended herbicide at the right time and at the right dose.

Baldev Singh, a farmer from Ludhiana, shared his experience, “Last year, I mixed herbicides on my own and ended up with patchy weed control and yellowing plants. This time, I will follow PAU’s advice and use novlect exactly as recommended.”