Agronomy Weed management

All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Weed Management

Project Objectives

1. Documentation of the traditional weed management practices and tools.
2. Survey on weed flora in different agro-climatic regions and planning weed control strategy in relation to weed and crop.
3. Studies on weed biology and weed ecology.
4. Development of integrated weed management system for different crops and cropping systems with emphasis on dry land farming.
5. Studies on the long-term effect of weed control methods on weeds, herbicide residue and crop productivity.
6. Studies on the efficacy of herbicides on weed control, its altered physiology and productivity of crop.
7. Herbicide residue monitoring in soil, plant and water system and their management in crops and cropping systems.
8. Studies on the management of perennial and problem weeds in cropped and non-cropped lands.
9. Application of biotechnology (allelopathic phenomenon) in weed management.
10. Studies on physiological synergistic interaction of herbicides in crops.
11. On-farm trials in the farmer’s fields.
12. Training of extension personnel and farmers.

Brief Information of the Centre

The AICRP on Weed Management is functioning in the Department of Agronomy, Directorate of Crop Management, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore since 1987.Initially it was started as Weed management research programme at TNAU in January 1982 under USDA – PL 480 funding.  The All India Coordinated Programme on Weed Control came into operation from April 1987

Weed Science laboratory are well equipped with Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC), UV-Visible Spectrophotometer, High PerformanceLiquid chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography (GC), autoclave and microscope using the funds of AICRP-WM scheme, for residue analysis and microbiological study.

Research Activities of the Centre

THEME 1. Development of sustainable weed management practices in diversified cropping systems

  • Weed management in maize-sunflower based conservation agriculture system
  • Long term herbicide trial in transplanted lowland rice-rice cropping system

THEME 2. Weed dynamics and management under the regime of climate change and herbicide resistance

  • Monitoring weed shift due to climate change and correlation Studies with weeds and weather parameters in long term rice-rice cropping system trial

THEME 3. Biology and management of problematic weeds in cropped and non cropped areas

  • Management of Cuscuta in Lucerne/Onion
  • Biological control of water hyacinth by Neochitina spp.
  • Maintenance of Parthenium Free Campus

THEME 4: Monitoring, degradation and mitigation of herbicide residues in the environment

  • Herbicides residues in long term herbicide trial in transplanted lowland rice-rice cropping system
  • Study on herbicide residues in long term conservation agriculture under cotton – maize system
  • Herbicide residues in high-value crops
  • Degradation of herbicides in soil
  • Mitigation of candidate herbicide in soil.
  • Testing of persistence of herbicides in the farmers’ field (soil and crop produce)

THEME 5. On-farm research and demonstration of weed management technologies their adoption and impact assessment in field crops