Tillage and herbicides under saline soil: Deciphering weeds, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and productivity in northern plains of India

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Bhushan, S.K. Verma, S.B. Singh, S.K. Rajpoot, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6105946/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2019-20 to investigate the effects of tillage and herbicides on weed dynamics, crop growth and wheat yield under saline soil. Results indicated that zero-tillage (ZT) had the lowest density of weed (WD), weed dry weight (WDW) and the highest weed control efficiency (WCE) followed by minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT), respectively. The application of Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i./ha followed by SFS at 0.025 kg a.i./ha substantially decreased the WD, WDW and recorded highest WCE, crop growth and grain yield of wheat compared to Pendi. at 1.5 kg a.i./ha and weedy-check. It was also statistically comparable to SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg a.i./ha. The implementation of ZT combined with the sequential application of Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i./ha fb SFS at 0.025 kg a.i./ha (T0W2), led to the minimum WD and WDW while maximizing plant height, DMA, tillers and grain yield of wheat. This was closely followed by the treatment T0W3. Herbicide Saline soil Tillage Weed control efficiency Wheat Yield Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Introduction After rice, wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is India’s largest cereal crop and a major contributor to the nation’s food security. It constitutes 33.53% of India’s total food grain production. Wheat production in India during 2022-23 was 110.55 MT with an area of 31.40 Mha with a productivity of 6.40 t/ha. Over the decades, India’s wheat production has risen substantially, from 6.40 MT in 1949-50 to 110.55 MT in 2022-23. Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are the three main wheat-producing states; UP alone accounts for 31.77% of the nation’s wheat production [1]. Despite this progress, wheat production in India faces several challenges of which traditional tillage practices and heavy weed infestation are on the top [2]. They further reported that the late harvest of preceding rice crops often delays wheat sowing, especially under conventional tillage systems that require intensive land ploughing [3]. As a result, delayed sowing significantly reduces yield 38 to 78 kg / ha / day when wheat was sown after 14 th November [4]. Weeds also play a critical role in limiting wheat productivity. Globally, weed competition causes more crop losses than the combined effects of insect pests and disease. In India, severe competition from diverse weed flora can reduce wheat yields by 30-80% [5]. Traditional weed control methods, such as manual weeding are labour-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. Herbicide-based weed management has gained popularity because of its lower labour costs and effective weed suppression [6]. Conservation tillage (CT), particularly zero-tillage (ZT) and reduced tillage (RT) has emerged as a sustainable solution to overcome these challenges. ZT allows for timely wheat sowing thereby reducing the need for extensive land preparation. It also significantly affects weed dynamics and improves yields by conserving water, energy and labour [7,8] reduce soil degradation, improve nutrient cycle and promote environmental sustainability [9]. However, despite of these advantages, the adoption of CT has hindered by high weed infestation during the initial years. Weed species, especially small-seeded; thrive well under reduced tillage systems, necessitates the use of diverse herbicidal strategies [10]. Effective use of herbicides during the initial years in conservation tillage is crucial to minimize the weed-seed bank and ensure long-term sustainability. Therefore, an effort was made to access the effect of herbicides and tillage on dynamics of weeds and wheat yield in saline soil. Materials and Methods A field study was conducted in the Rabi season of 2019-20 at Agronomy Research Farm, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. The geographical coordinates was 26°32ʹ55ʹʹN and 81°50ʹ14ʹʹE and altitude of 113 m above sea level (Figure 1). Between, 14.0-36.6 °C was the highest recorded temperature while between 5.3-18.7 °C was the lowest and 184.6 mm of rain fell during the research period. The surface-soil layer were silty - loam, pH 8.08 and lower in organic carbon content (0.40 %). Fifteen treatment combinations of three tillage operations in main-plots viz. T 0 : zero tillage (ZT)- no ploughing, T 1 : minimum tillage (MT)- two ploughing and T 2 : conventional tillage (CT)- four ploughing with broadcast seeding and in sub-plots were herbicides i.e. W 1 : Pendi. at 1.5 kg a.i./ ha as a pre-emergence (PE), W 2 : Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i./ ha (PE) fb SFS 0.025 kg a.i./ ha post-emergence (PoE), W 3 : SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg a.i./ ha (PoE),W 4 : weedy-check and W 5 : weed-free (up to 60 days) allotted randomly in SPD with three replications. In ZT plots, glyphosate was sprayed at 1.0 kg a.i./ ha at 10 days prior to sowing to control the persistent weeds. Whereas in minimum tillage and conventional tillage seedbeds were prepared by two and four ploughings, respectively. Utilizing a ZT-seed drill to open slits the wheat variety NW-5054 was seeded at the seed rate of 100 kg/ha utilizing various crop establishment techniques with a 20 cm row spacing. To meet the crop’s nitrogen needs, the prescribed fertilizer dosage of 120, 60, 40 kg/ha of N, P 2 O 5 , K 2 O was applied. Half of N and entire P 2 O 5 and K 2 O were applied at sowing, while remaining N was applied in two equal top dressings; once after first irrigation and at tillering stage respectively, to ensure good crop growth. Need based agronomic practice were carried out for the success of crop. Weed data were taken at different growth stages from the three randomly selected places using 50 × 50 cm 2 quadrate. Collected data was statistically analyzed to draw a valid conclusion. The data on weed density (WD) and weed dry weight (WDW) were transformed using the square root method. Results Relative composition of weeds: The wheat field was affected by P. minor, A. ludoviciana C. album, A. arvensis and C. rotundus. Further, among the grassy weeds, P. minor was the dominant weed followed by A. ludoviciana . Between the two dominant broad-leaf weeds, C. album showed 21.78% highest density over A. arvensis 16.22% (Figure 2) . In total, narrow-leaf weeds comprised the largest proportion (39%) of the overall weeds fb broad-leaf weeds (38%) and sedges (23%) (Figure 3). Weed density : The density of all weed groups was lower at 30 DAS, but as the crop progressed towards maturity, the weed density gradually increased, reaching its peak at 60 DAS. All the tillage operations significantly affected WD; ZT resulted in the lowest WD across all groups, followed by MT, while CT exhibited the highest density. Under the herbicides, W 1 - W 3 and W 5 had noticeable negative effects on weeds and were shown to have reduced the densities of all weed groups compared to the untreated weedy-check. (Figure 4 to 6). Pendi. at 1.5 kg a.i./ ha fb SFS at 0.025 kg a.i./ ha (W 2 ) significantly reduced WD and it was statistically at par with SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg a.i. /ha (W 3 ). The density of grasses, BLWs and sedges was found to be significantly impacted by the interaction between tillage and herbicides. Lowest density of all weed groups was recorded in ZT along with the application of Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i./ ha fb SFS at 0.025 kg a.i./ ha (T 0 W 2 ) than all the other combinations of tillage and herbicides. Total weed density, weed dry weight and weed control efficiency : there is a strong correlation between WD and weed dry weight (WDW); in weedy-check plots, both were most prevalent. Nevertheless, ZT had the lowest overall density, WDW and maximum weed control efficiency (WCE) of all the tillage operations followed by treatments MT and CT, respectively. Within herbicidal treatments, W 2 was the most effective in reducing total density and their dry weight with highest WCE over rest of the treatments (Fig. 7 and 8). Tillage and herbicides had a significant interaction effect in the T 0 W 2 followed by T 0 W 3 treatment combinations. However, total WD at 60 DAS was significantly lower (38.10 to 72.16%) in T 0 (ZT) plots treated with (W 2 ) Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i. /ha fb SFS at 0.025 kg a.i. /ha compared to T 2 plots × (W 1 , W 2 , W 3 ) combinations and being at par with T 1 plots (MT); when comparing this treatment combination to the weedy-check (W 4 ) the reduction was still greater (73.71 to 90.39%). WDW in T 0 plots was 16.87 and 37.80 % lower than T 1 plots under W 1 and W 2 , respectively. Under weedy-check condition, T 0 plots recorded 10.13% lower WDW than T 2 plots. WDW from T 2 plots applied with W 1 was significantly greater than other tillage operations (T) × herbicides combinations except for T 0 W 3 , with the exception of weedy-check and weed-free plots; the increase varied from 7.60 to 58.46% (Figure 7 to 9). Crop growth : Tillage operations and herbicides considerably affected the growth characters of wheat. Among tillage operation, treatment ZT showed highest leaf area index (LAI) (see in Figure 10), plant height, tillers and dry matter accumulation (DMA) summarized in Table 1. followed by MT and CT, respectively. While among herbicides, Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i. /ha fb SFS at 0.025 kg a.i. /ha was recorded significantly the maximum LAI, plant height, tillers and DMA and was at par with SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg a.i. /ha. Table 1. Effects of tillage and herbicides on plant height, tillers, dry matter accumulation at harvest and grain yield Treatments Plant height (cm) Tillers (No./m 2 ) DMA (g/m 2 ) Grain Yield (kg/ha) Tillage operations (T) T 0 81.83 295.46 862.37 3834 T 1 78.82 280.28 803.58 3376 T 2 67.73 274.28 738.03 3187 SEm± 1.04 1.80 8.03 44 CD p=0.05) 4.08 7.05 31.51 172 Herbicides (Ws) W 1 72.66 271.83 752.54 3162 W 2 79.51 292.64 859.59 3687 W 3 78.37 286.19 821.18 3488 W 4 65.11 254.14 700.76 2988 W 5 84.98 311.89 872.55 4003 SEm± 0.99 2.63 9.28 38 CD p=0.05) 2.88 7.69 27.09 110 Interaction (T× Ws) SEm± 1.71 4.56 16.07 65 CD (p=0.05) 4.99 13.32 46.92 190 Yield : On an average, ZT increased grain yield by 13.59% over MT and 20.32% over CT, respectively. Herbicides also had a significant impact on grain yield; applying Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i. /ha fb SFS at 0.025 kg a.i. /ha greatly increased grain yield over weedy-check and Pendi. at 1.5 kg a.i. /ha and was at par with SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg a.i. /ha. Evidently, the highest grain yield were produced in weed-free plots, which were noticeable higher than yield under any herbicides (Table 2). Tillage and herbicides have the significant interaction effect on the wheat grain yield. T 0 W 1 produced the highest wheat grain yield, which was 12.27% more than all MT and herbicides combinations including weed-free plots. Additionally, the yield from this combination of treatments was the same as the yield from T 1 W 5 . Furthermore, the yield of weed-free and weedy-check plots was higher under MT (T 1 ) 8.83% and 1.95% respectively than under CT (T 2 ), Table 2. Table 2. Interaction tillage operations and herbicides on total weed density and dry weight at 60 DAS and grain yield of wheat T/Ws Total weed density (No./m 2 ) Total weed dry weight (g/m 2 ) Grain Yield (kg/ha) T 0 T 1 T 2 T 0 T 1 T 2 T 0 T 1 T 2 W 1 6.48 (41.50) 6.87 (46.80) 7.20 (51.36) 5.09 (25.49) 5.60 (30.97) 5.83 (33.51) 3617 3045 2824 W 2 3.84 (14.30) 4.19 (17.10) 4.86 (23.10) 3.80 (13.92) 4.46 (19.43) 4.90 (23.51) 3921 3700 3440 W 3 4.25 (17.60) 4.71 (21.70) 5.45 (29.40) 4.03 (15.77) 4.63 (20.97) 4.96 (24.10) 3807 3358 3300 W 4 12.51 (156.00) 13.35 (178.00) 13.54 (183.00) 7.07 (49.58) 7.22 (51.69) 7.46 (55.17) 3378 2820 2765 W 5 0.71 (0.00) 0.71 (0.00) 0.71 (0.00) 0.71 (0.00) 0.71 (0.00) 0.71 (0.00) 4449 3954 3605 CD (p=0.05) 0.50 (10.30) 0.27 (3.60) 190 Note: Data under parenthesis are the original value which were transformed by for analysis. T 0 : Zero-tillage (No tillage), T 1 : Minimum tillage (2 ploughing), T 2 : Conventional tillage (4 ploughing) with broadcast seeding; W 1 : Pendimethalin at 1.5 kg a.i. /ha (PE), W 2 : Pendimethalin at 1.0 kg a.i. /ha (PE) fb sulfosulfuron at 0.025 kg a.i. /ha(PoE),W 3 : Sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron at 0.032 kg a.i. /ha (PoE), W 4 : Weedy-check, W 5 : Weed-free. Discussion The superior performance of ZT in reducing weed infestation and enhancing wheat yield aligns with previous studies [2,11]. Minimal soil disturbance in ZT prevents the upward movement of weed seeds from deeper soil layers, thereby reducing germination opportunities. Conversely, intensive ploughing in CT systems promotes weed emergence by exposing buried seeds to favorable conditions [12]. This mechanistic explanation underscores the sustainability of conservation tillage in saline soils. The efficacy of sequential herbicide application (Pendi. fb SFS) highlights the importance of integrating pre- and post-emergence strategies for managing diverse weed flora. The synergistic effect of ZT and herbicides disrupts weed life cycles, minimizes seed bank replenishment and reduces resource competition, as noted [13, 5]. The statistically comparable performance of W 2 and W 3 suggests that herbicide combinations targeting both grassy and broad-leaf weeds are critical for effective weed suppression. The higher crop growth and yield under ZT can be attributed to improved soil structure, moisture conservation and efficient nutrient cycling [9]. Reduced weed interference in ZT systems allows wheat plants to allocate more resources to growth and grain formation, corroborating findings in this region [14, 15]. However, the initial challenges of weed persistence in ZT [10], necessitate robust herbicidal interventions during early adoption phases. The study underscores the economic and ecological benefits of integrating ZT with optimized herbicide regimes. While weed-free plots yielded the highest output, the labour and cost implications, make herbicidal strategies like W 2 more practical for farmers. Future research should explore long-term impacts of these practices on soil health and weed resistance dynamics to ensure sustainable adoption in saline agro-ecosystems. Conclusions The findings of this study demonstrate that tillage practices and herbicide applications significantly influence weed dynamics and wheat growth. Zero tillage (ZT) increased grain yield by 12.29% and 18.63% compared to minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT), respectively. Among the herbicide strategies tested, the sequential application of Pendimethalin at 1.0 kg a.i ./ha followed by sulfosulfuron at 0.025 kg a.i ./ha proved to be the most effective, leading to the lowest weed growth, highest weed control efficiency (WCE) and maximum grain yield. Declarations Acknowledgements Not applicable. Clinical trial number Not Applicable. Author contributions Conceptualization, M.V. and S.K.V.; methodology and visualization, M.V., S.K.V., C.B. and S.K.R.; software, M.V., S.K.V. and S.K.R.; validation, M.V., S.K.V., CB., S.K.R. and S.B.S.; formal analysis, M.V., S.K.V., C.B. and S.S.; investigation, M.V., S.K.V., C.B., S.K.R. and S.Q.; resources, M.V., S.K.V., C.B. and S.Q.; data curation, S.K.V., M.V. and S.B.S.; writing—original draft preparation, M.V., S.K.V., S.B., C.B., S.S. and S.Q.; writing—review and editing, M.V., S.B., S.K.V., C.B., S.K.R., S.Q. and S.S. All authors reviewed the manuscript. Funding Not applicable. Data availability The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request (corresponding author: [email protected] ). Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. References Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. 2024. Singh RP, Verma SK, Kumar S. Weed management for enhancing yield and economics of wheat in the Eastern India. Indian J Agric Sci. 2020;84(6):780–3. Thind HS, Sharma S, Sidhu HS, Singh V. Tillage, crop establishment and residue retention methods for optimising productivity and profitability under rice–wheat system. Crop Pasture Sci. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1071/CP21595 Tomar SPS, Tomar SS, Srivastava SC. Yield and yield component response of wheat genotypes to different sowing dates in Gird region of Madhya Pradesh. Int J Farm Sci. 2014;4(2):1–6. Lakra K, Husain K, Pyare R, Verma SK, Meena RS, Singh PK, Gaber A, Hossain A. Productivity and profitability of irrigated bread wheat are influenced by irrigation scheduling and weed management approaches. Gesunde Pflanzen. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-022-00748-6 Lakra K, Pyare R, Singh PK, Verma SK, Singh RK, Upadhyay PK, Tyagi V. Effect of irrigation schedule and herbicides application on growth and productivity of wheat in semi-arid environment. Indian J Agron. 2020;67(2):129–36. Yadav DK, Verma SK, Singh RK, Bhushan C, Rajpoot SK, Upadhyay A, Kumar P. Effect of crop establishment and weed management practices on soil properties in wheat. Pharma Innov J. 2023a;12(6):4607–9. Alhammad BA, Roy DK, Ranjan S, Padhan SR, Sow S, Nath D, Gitari H. Conservation tillage and weed management influencing weed dynamics, crop performance, soil properties, and profitability in a rice–wheat–greengram system in the eastern Indo-Gangetic plain. Agronomy. 2023;13(7):1953. Yadav DK, Verma SK, Pratap V, Yadav SP, Jaysawal PK. Available nutrients in soil are influenced by planting techniques and weed management options in wheat. Int J Chem Stud. 2020;8(4):2718–21. Yang M, Zhao Y, Yang H, Shen Y, Zhang X. Suppression of weeds and weed seeds in the soil by stubbles and no-tillage in an arid maize-winter wheat-common vetch rotation on the Loess Plateau of China. J Arid Land. 2018;10:809–20. Yadav DK, Verma SK, Bhushan C, Mahajan NC, Kumar P. Influence of crop establishment methods and weed management practices on growth and yield attributes of wheat. Int J Plant Soil Sci. 2023;35(18):1452–8. Singh RP, Verma SK, Prasad SK, Singh H, Singh SB. Effect of tillage and weed management practices on grassy weeds in wheat. Int J Sci Environ Technol. 2017;6(1):404–12. Verma SK, Bhushan C, Rajpoot SK, Chaudhary R, Meena R, Kashyap SK, Yadav DK. Herbicide and irrigation management options in conventionally-tilled wheat: deciphering water and energy budgeting, and grain and monetary output in north-Indian plains. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):1612. Verma SK, Singh RP, Kumar S. Effects of irrigation and herbicides on the growth, yield and yield attributes of wheat. Bangladesh J Bot. 2017;46(3):839–45. Choudhary PC, Sharma AR. Herbicides in zero-till wheat grown after greengram. Indian J Weed Sci. 2023;55(1):95–8. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6105946","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":437188115,"identity":"0980ab0b-0107-4bc0-87fe-517bedf82f8b","order_by":0,"name":"Mohammad Vaheed","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHiBmk2BgYO9hgwgwE62F5wxpWoBYIoeNOGcZHD978MGHMgt5+Zlvjz3mYbCTZ2DnPYBfy5m8ZMMZ5yQMN9zOSzfmYUg2bGDmS8CrRbIhx0yat02CcYM0kMHDwJzAwMxjgF9L/xvz33/bJOznzzwD0lJPWAu/RI4ZM2ObRGLDDR6QlsPEaHljLNlzTiJ5w5m8NMk5BscN2whpYePPMfzwo6zOdn772WMSbyqq5fn5z+DXggYMIHE0CkbBKBgFo4BCAADxSTdCp4X1pgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Banaras Hindu University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammad","middleName":"","lastName":"Vaheed","suffix":""},{"id":437188116,"identity":"32904bb8-778d-4f7e-9764-746201273504","order_by":1,"name":"C. 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DAS\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/1d42ee00c31e866bce2fd279.png"},{"id":79889355,"identity":"9335a731-5246-4f65-ab72-6483c96be465","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-04 06:55:05","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":111410,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInteraction effect of tillage and herbicides on density of weeds (No./m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) at 30 DAS\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/39df865613f6f6533c0b1d7e.png"},{"id":79889356,"identity":"0e926d70-af8c-4491-9711-b9daaaaf8be5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-04 06:55:06","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":94960,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInteraction effect of tillage and herbicides on density of weeds (No./m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) at 60 DAS\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/d384642e5e1ed1bb59c38a1f.png"},{"id":79889357,"identity":"d91a9db7-b5cc-4619-acbf-8d207c6a5d0c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-04 06:55:06","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":98412,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInteraction effect of tillage and herbicides on density (No./m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) of weeds at 90 DAS\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/ce088dc7c5a7c4860f96efc8.png"},{"id":79889505,"identity":"9ecbf756-36cc-4c23-80a0-cb5623b70e52","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-04 07:03:06","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":89733,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInteraction of tillage and herbicides on total weed density (No./m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/65358a6c64fce6a32a506085.png"},{"id":79889375,"identity":"34e5cc6b-5a2a-4350-b9bb-7743c11c4276","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-04 06:55:06","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":89492,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInteraction of tillage and herbicides on total weed dry weight (g/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/33267cdf50dc412379ae1d40.png"},{"id":79890095,"identity":"1979f84f-d1cf-4081-94f6-3d6959529ed4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-04 07:11:05","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":90509,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInteraction effect of tillage and herbicides on WCE (%)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/7ebf3f33ef572c4b225a95ac.png"},{"id":79889377,"identity":"98e0c5f0-054c-435e-b249-4f79f45dc323","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-04 06:55:06","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":78932,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of tillage and herbicides on leaf area index\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/61235ec4a63f4d0d4ec78c02.png"},{"id":83286841,"identity":"3d579f9a-f2d1-4201-902a-5135133621de","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-22 11:46:50","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1704717,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6105946/v1/c9ae4318-1b9b-4ffa-88af-a805f61bb3c0.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eTillage and herbicides under saline soil: Deciphering weeds, wheat (\u003cem\u003eTriticum aestivum\u003c/em\u003e L.) growth and productivity in northern plains of India\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eAfter rice, wheat (\u003cem\u003eTriticum aestivum\u003c/em\u003e L.) is India’s largest cereal crop and a major contributor to the nation’s food security. It constitutes 33.53% of India’s total food grain production. Wheat production in India during 2022-23 was 110.55 MT with an area of 31.40 Mha with a productivity of 6.40 t/ha. Over the decades, India’s wheat production has risen substantially, from 6.40 MT in 1949-50 to 110.55 MT in 2022-23. Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are the three main wheat-producing states; UP alone accounts for 31.77% of the nation’s wheat production [1]. Despite this progress, wheat production in India faces several challenges of which traditional tillage practices and heavy weed infestation are on the top [2]. They further reported that the late harvest of preceding rice crops often delays wheat sowing, especially under conventional tillage systems that require intensive land ploughing [3]. As a result, delayed sowing significantly reduces yield 38 to 78 kg\u003cem\u003e/\u003c/em\u003eha\u003cem\u003e/\u003c/em\u003eday when wheat was sown after 14\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e November [4]. Weeds also play a critical role in limiting wheat productivity. Globally, weed competition causes more crop losses than the combined effects of insect pests and disease. In India, severe competition from diverse weed flora can reduce wheat yields by 30-80% [5]. Traditional weed control methods, such as manual weeding are labour-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. Herbicide-based weed management has gained popularity because of its lower labour costs and effective weed suppression [6]. Conservation tillage (CT), particularly zero-tillage (ZT) and reduced tillage (RT) has emerged as a sustainable solution to overcome these challenges. ZT allows for timely wheat sowing thereby reducing the need for extensive land preparation. It also significantly affects weed dynamics and improves yields by conserving water, energy and labour [7,8] reduce soil degradation, improve nutrient cycle and promote environmental sustainability [9]. However, despite of these advantages, the adoption of CT has hindered by high weed infestation during the initial years. Weed species, especially small-seeded; thrive well under reduced tillage systems, necessitates the use of diverse herbicidal strategies [10]. Effective use of herbicides during the initial years in conservation tillage is crucial to minimize the weed-seed bank and ensure long-term sustainability. Therefore, an effort was made to access the effect of herbicides and tillage on dynamics of weeds and wheat yield in saline soil.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eA field study was conducted in the \u003cem\u003eRabi\u003c/em\u003e season of 2019-20 at Agronomy Research Farm, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. The geographical coordinates was 26°32ʹ55ʹʹN and 81°50ʹ14ʹʹE and altitude of 113 m above sea level (Figure 1). Between, 14.0-36.6 °C was the highest recorded temperature while between 5.3-18.7 °C was the lowest and 184.6 mm of rain fell during the research period. The surface-soil layer were silty - loam, pH 8.08 and lower in organic carbon content (0.40 %). Fifteen treatment combinations of three tillage operations in main-plots \u003cem\u003eviz.\u003c/em\u003e T\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e: zero tillage (ZT)- no ploughing, T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: minimum tillage (MT)- two ploughing and T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: conventional tillage (CT)- four ploughing with broadcast seeding and in sub-plots were herbicides \u003cem\u003ei.e.\u003c/em\u003e W\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: Pendi. at 1.5 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha as a pre-emergence (PE), W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: Pendi. \u0026nbsp;at 1.0 kg\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;a.i./\u003c/em\u003eha (PE) \u003cem\u003efb\u003c/em\u003e SFS 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha post-emergence (PoE), W\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha (PoE),W\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: weedy-check and W\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e: weed-free (up to 60 days) allotted randomly in SPD with three replications. In ZT plots, glyphosate was sprayed at 1.0 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha at 10 days prior to sowing to control the persistent weeds. Whereas in minimum tillage and conventional tillage seedbeds were prepared by two and four ploughings, respectively. Utilizing a ZT-seed drill to open slits the wheat variety NW-5054 was seeded at the seed rate of 100 kg/ha utilizing various crop establishment techniques with a 20 cm row spacing. \u0026nbsp;To meet the crop’s nitrogen needs, the prescribed fertilizer dosage of 120, 60, 40 kg/ha of N, P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e, K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO was applied. Half of N and entire P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e and K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO were applied at sowing, while remaining N was applied in two equal top dressings; once after first irrigation and at tillering stage respectively, to ensure good crop growth. Need based agronomic practice were carried out for the success of crop. Weed data were taken at different growth stages from the three randomly selected places using 50 × 50 cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e quadrate. Collected data was statistically analyzed to draw a valid conclusion. The data on weed density (WD) and weed dry weight (WDW) were transformed using the square root method.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRelative composition of weeds:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003eThe wheat field was affected by \u003cem\u003eP. minor, A. ludoviciana C. album, A. arvensis\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;C. rotundus.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eFurther, among the grassy weeds, \u003cem\u003eP. minor\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ewas the dominant weed followed by \u003cem\u003eA. ludoviciana\u003c/em\u003e. Between the two dominant broad-leaf weeds, \u003cem\u003eC. album\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eshowed 21.78% highest density over \u003cem\u003eA. arvensis\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e16.22% (Figure 2)\u003cem\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eIn total, narrow-leaf weeds comprised the largest proportion (39%) of the overall weeds \u003cem\u003efb\u003c/em\u003e broad-leaf weeds (38%) and sedges (23%) (Figure 3).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeed density\u003c/em\u003e:\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eThe density of all weed groups was lower at 30 DAS, but as the crop progressed towards maturity, the weed density gradually increased, reaching its peak at 60 DAS. All the tillage operations significantly affected WD; ZT\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eresulted in the lowest WD across all groups, followed by MT, while CT exhibited the highest density. Under the herbicides, W\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e- W\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and W\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e had noticeable negative effects on weeds and were shown to have reduced the densities of all weed groups compared to the untreated weedy-check. (Figure 4 to 6). Pendi. at 1.5 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha \u003cem\u003efb\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eSFS at 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e(W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) significantly reduced WD and it was statistically at par with SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha (W\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e). The density of grasses, BLWs and sedges was found to be significantly impacted by the interaction between tillage and herbicides. Lowest density of all weed groups was recorded in ZT along with the application of Pendi. at 1.0 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha \u003cem\u003efb\u003c/em\u003e SFS at 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i./\u003c/em\u003eha\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e(T\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) than all the other combinations of tillage and herbicides.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTotal weed density, weed dry weight and weed control efficiency\u003c/em\u003e: there is a strong correlation between WD and weed dry weight (WDW); in weedy-check plots, both were most prevalent. Nevertheless, ZT had the lowest overall density, WDW and maximum weed control efficiency (WCE) of all the tillage operations followed by treatments MT and CT, respectively. Within herbicidal treatments, W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e was the most effective in reducing total density and their dry weight with highest WCE over rest of the treatments\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e(Fig. 7 and 8). Tillage and herbicides had a significant interaction effect in the T\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e followed by T\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e treatment combinations. However, total WD at 60 DAS was significantly lower (38.10 to 72.16%) in T\u003csub\u003e0\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e(ZT) plots treated with (W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) Pendi. at 1.0 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha \u003cem\u003efb\u003c/em\u003e SFS at 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha compared to T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e plots \u0026times; (W\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e,\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, W\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) combinations and being at par with T\u003csub\u003e1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eplots (MT); when comparing this treatment combination to the weedy-check (W\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) the reduction was still greater (73.71 to 90.39%). WDW in T\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e plots was 16.87 and 37.80 % lower than T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e plots under W\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003eand W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, respectively. Under weedy-check condition, T\u003csub\u003e0\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eplots recorded 10.13% lower WDW than T\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eplots. WDW from T\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eplots applied with W\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e was significantly greater than other tillage operations (T) \u0026times; herbicides combinations except for T\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e,\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003ewith the exception of weedy-check and weed-free plots; the increase varied from 7.60 to 58.46% (Figure 7 to 9).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrop growth\u003c/em\u003e: Tillage operations and herbicides considerably affected the growth characters of wheat. Among tillage operation, treatment ZT\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eshowed highest leaf area index (LAI) (see in Figure 10), plant height, tillers and dry matter accumulation (DMA) summarized in Table 1. followed by MT\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eand CT, respectively. While among herbicides, Pendi. at 1.0 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha \u003cem\u003efb\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eSFS at 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha was recorded significantly the maximum LAI, plant height, tillers and DMA and was at par with SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1.\u003c/strong\u003e Effects of tillage and herbicides on plant height, tillers, dry matter accumulation at harvest and grain yield\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"602\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePlant height\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(cm)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTillers\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(No./m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDMA\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(g/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGrain Yield\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTillage operations (T)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e81.83\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e295.46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e862.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3834\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e78.82\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e280.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e803.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3376\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e274.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e738.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3187\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSEm\u0026plusmn;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCD p=0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e172\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 602px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHerbicides (Ws)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e271.83\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e752.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3162\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e292.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e859.59\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3687\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e78.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e286.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e821.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3488\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e254.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e700.76\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2988\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e84.98\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e311.89\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e872.55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSEm\u0026plusmn;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCD p=0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.88\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.69\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e110\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 602px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInteraction (T\u0026times; Ws)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSEm\u0026plusmn;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCD (p=0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.99\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 112px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e190\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYield\u003c/em\u003e: On an average, ZT increased grain yield by 13.59% over MT and 20.32% over CT, respectively. Herbicides also had a significant impact on grain yield; applying Pendi. at 1.0 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha \u003cem\u003efb\u003c/em\u003e SFS at 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha greatly increased grain yield over weedy-check and Pendi. at 1.5 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha and was at par with SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha. Evidently, the highest grain yield were produced in weed-free plots, which were noticeable higher than yield under any herbicides (Table 2).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTillage and herbicides have the significant interaction effect on the wheat grain yield. T\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e produced the highest wheat grain yield, which was 12.27% more than all MT and herbicides combinations including weed-free plots. Additionally, the yield from this combination of treatments was the same as the yield from T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e. Furthermore, the yield of weed-free and weedy-check plots was higher under MT (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e) 8.83% and 1.95% respectively than under CT (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e), Table 2.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2.\u003c/strong\u003e Interaction tillage operations and herbicides on total weed density and dry weight at 60 DAS and grain yield of wheat\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"631\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT/Ws\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal weed density (No./m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 193px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal weed dry weight (g/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGrain Yield (kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.48 (41.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.87 (46.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.20 (51.36)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.09 (25.49)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.60 (30.97)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.83 (33.51)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3617\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3045\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2824\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.84 (14.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.19 (17.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.86 (23.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.80 (13.92)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.46 (19.43)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.90 (23.51)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3921\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3700\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3440\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.25 (17.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.71 (21.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.45 (29.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.03 (15.77)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.63 (20.97)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.96 (24.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3807\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3358\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3300\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.51 (156.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.35 (178.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.54 (183.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.07 (49.58)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.22 (51.69)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.46 (55.17)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3378\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2820\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2765\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.71 (0.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.71 (0.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.71 (0.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.71 (0.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.71 (0.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.71 (0.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4449\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3954\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3605\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCD (p=0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.50 (10.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.27 (3.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e190\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c/strong\u003e Data under parenthesis are the original value which were transformed by \u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003efor analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e: Zero-tillage (No tillage), T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: Minimum tillage (2 ploughing), T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: Conventional tillage (4 ploughing) with broadcast seeding; W\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: Pendimethalin at 1.5 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha (PE), W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: Pendimethalin at 1.0 kg\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;a.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha (PE) \u003cem\u003efb\u003c/em\u003e sulfosulfuron at 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u003c/em\u003e/ha(PoE),W\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: Sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron at 0.032 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e/ha (PoE), W\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: Weedy-check, W\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e: Weed-free.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe superior performance of ZT in reducing weed infestation and enhancing wheat yield aligns with previous studies [2,11]. Minimal soil disturbance in ZT prevents the upward movement of weed seeds from deeper soil layers, thereby reducing germination opportunities. Conversely, intensive ploughing in CT systems promotes weed emergence by exposing buried seeds to favorable conditions [12]. This mechanistic explanation underscores the sustainability of conservation tillage in saline soils.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe efficacy of sequential herbicide application (Pendi.\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;fb\u003c/em\u003e SFS) highlights the importance of integrating pre- and post-emergence strategies for managing diverse weed flora. The synergistic effect of ZT and herbicides disrupts weed life cycles, minimizes seed bank replenishment and reduces resource competition, as noted [13, 5]. The statistically comparable performance of W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and W\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e suggests that herbicide combinations targeting both grassy and broad-leaf weeds are critical for effective weed suppression.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe higher crop growth and yield under ZT can be attributed to improved soil structure, moisture conservation and efficient nutrient cycling [9]. Reduced weed interference in ZT systems allows wheat plants to allocate more resources to growth and grain formation, corroborating findings in this region [14, 15]. However, the initial challenges of weed persistence in ZT [10], necessitate robust herbicidal interventions during early adoption phases.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study underscores the economic and ecological benefits of integrating ZT with optimized herbicide regimes. While weed-free plots yielded the highest output, the labour and cost implications, make herbicidal strategies like W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e more practical for farmers. Future research should explore long-term impacts of these practices on soil health and weed resistance dynamics to ensure sustainable adoption in saline agro-ecosystems.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe findings of this study demonstrate that tillage practices and herbicide applications significantly influence weed dynamics and wheat growth. Zero tillage (ZT) increased grain yield by 12.29% and 18.63% compared to minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT), respectively. Among the herbicide strategies tested, the sequential application of Pendimethalin at 1.0 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i\u003c/em\u003e./ha followed by sulfosulfuron at 0.025 kg \u003cem\u003ea.i\u003c/em\u003e./ha proved to be the most effective, leading to the lowest weed growth, highest weed control efficiency (WCE) and maximum grain yield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial number\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot Applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConceptualization, M.V. and S.K.V.; methodology and visualization, M.V., S.K.V., C.B. and S.K.R.; software, M.V., S.K.V. and S.K.R.; validation, M.V., S.K.V., CB., S.K.R. and S.B.S.; formal analysis, M.V., S.K.V., C.B. and S.S.; investigation, M.V., S.K.V., C.B., S.K.R. and S.Q.; resources, M.V., S.K.V., C.B. and S.Q.; data curation, S.K.V., M.V. and S.B.S.; writing\u0026mdash;original draft preparation, M.V., S.K.V., S.B., C.B., S.S. and S.Q.; writing\u0026mdash;review and editing, M.V., S.B., S.K.V., C.B., S.K.R., S.Q. and S.S. All authors reviewed the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request (corresponding author: [email protected]).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDirectorate of Economics and Statistics. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. 2024.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSingh RP, Verma SK, Kumar S. Weed management for enhancing yield and economics of wheat in the Eastern India. Indian J Agric Sci. 2020;84(6):780\u0026ndash;3.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThind HS, Sharma S, Sidhu HS, Singh V. Tillage, crop establishment and residue retention methods for optimising productivity and profitability under rice\u0026ndash;wheat system. Crop Pasture Sci. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1071/CP21595\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTomar SPS, Tomar SS, Srivastava SC. Yield and yield component response of wheat genotypes to different sowing dates in Gird region of Madhya Pradesh. Int J Farm Sci. 2014;4(2):1\u0026ndash;6.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLakra K, Husain K, Pyare R, Verma SK, Meena RS, Singh PK, Gaber A, Hossain A. Productivity and profitability of irrigated bread wheat are influenced by irrigation scheduling and weed management approaches. Gesunde Pflanzen. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-022-00748-6\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLakra K, Pyare R, Singh PK, Verma SK, Singh RK, Upadhyay PK, Tyagi V. Effect of irrigation schedule and herbicides application on growth and productivity of wheat in semi-arid environment. Indian J Agron. 2020;67(2):129\u0026ndash;36.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYadav DK, Verma SK, Singh RK, Bhushan C, Rajpoot SK, Upadhyay A, Kumar P. Effect of crop establishment and weed management practices on soil properties in wheat. Pharma Innov J. 2023a;12(6):4607\u0026ndash;9.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlhammad BA, Roy DK, Ranjan S, Padhan SR, Sow S, Nath D, Gitari H. Conservation tillage and weed management influencing weed dynamics, crop performance, soil properties, and profitability in a rice\u0026ndash;wheat\u0026ndash;greengram system in the eastern Indo-Gangetic plain. Agronomy. 2023;13(7):1953.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYadav DK, Verma SK, Pratap V, Yadav SP, Jaysawal PK. Available nutrients in soil are influenced by planting techniques and weed management options in wheat. Int J Chem Stud. 2020;8(4):2718\u0026ndash;21.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYang M, Zhao Y, Yang H, Shen Y, Zhang X. Suppression of weeds and weed seeds in the soil by stubbles and no-tillage in an arid maize-winter wheat-common vetch rotation on the Loess Plateau of China. J Arid Land. 2018;10:809\u0026ndash;20.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYadav DK, Verma SK, Bhushan C, Mahajan NC, Kumar P. Influence of crop establishment methods and weed management practices on growth and yield attributes of wheat. Int J Plant Soil Sci. 2023;35(18):1452\u0026ndash;8.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSingh RP, Verma SK, Prasad SK, Singh H, Singh SB. Effect of tillage and weed management practices on grassy weeds in wheat. Int J Sci Environ Technol. 2017;6(1):404\u0026ndash;12.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVerma SK, Bhushan C, Rajpoot SK, Chaudhary R, Meena R, Kashyap SK, Yadav DK. Herbicide and irrigation management options in conventionally-tilled wheat: deciphering water and energy budgeting, and grain and monetary output in north-Indian plains. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):1612.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVerma SK, Singh RP, Kumar S. Effects of irrigation and herbicides on the growth, yield and yield attributes of wheat. Bangladesh J Bot. 2017;46(3):839\u0026ndash;45.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChoudhary PC, Sharma AR. Herbicides in zero-till wheat grown after greengram. Indian J Weed Sci. 2023;55(1):95\u0026ndash;8.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Herbicide, Saline soil, Tillage, Weed control efficiency, Wheat, Yield","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6105946/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6105946/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2019-20 to investigate the effects of tillage and herbicides on weed dynamics, crop growth and wheat yield under saline soil. Results indicated that zero-tillage (ZT) had the lowest density of weed (WD), weed dry weight (WDW) and the highest weed control efficiency (WCE) followed by minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT), respectively. The application of Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i./ha followed by SFS at 0.025 kg a.i./ha substantially decreased the WD, WDW and recorded highest WCE, crop growth and grain yield of wheat compared to Pendi. at 1.5 kg a.i./ha and weedy-check. It was also statistically comparable to SFS + MSM at 0.032 kg a.i./ha. The implementation of ZT combined with the sequential application of Pendi. at 1.0 kg a.i./ha fb SFS at 0.025 kg a.i./ha (T0W2), led to the minimum WD and WDW while maximizing plant height, DMA, tillers and grain yield of wheat. This was closely followed by the treatment T0W3.","manuscriptTitle":"Tillage and herbicides under saline soil: Deciphering weeds, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and productivity in northern plains of India","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-04 06:55:01","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6105946/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"18ed9121-4728-4910-bc86-f6073b72b450","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 4th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-22T11:38:35+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-04 06:55:01","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6105946","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6105946","identity":"rs-6105946","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}