P.r. Mathukia

Weed Management and Dynamics of Weed Seedbank in Fennel P.r. Mathukia

India occupies prime position in seed spices and plays very important role in earning foreign exchange through export of seed spices. India is the world?s largest producer, consumer and exporter of the spices. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) is an important seed spice. Gujarat ranks first with respect to production and productivity in India. Area under rabi direct seeded fennel is increasing day by day, because it is more profitable than other rabi crops like wheat, gram, cumin, mustard etc. Lake of production technologies and weed control particularly for rabi drilled fennel are important constraints in boosting up the production. Initial slow growth of seed spices leads to severe weed crop competition and reduces growth as well as yield as high as 91.4%. Application of herbicides in fennel effectively controls the weeds and increases seed yield from 43.2 to 86.9 %. Soil weed seedbank is reserve of viable seeds present on the surface and in the soil. The seedbank is an indicator of past and present weed populations in soil. It is the main source of weeds in agricultural fields. Therefore, knowledge of seedbank dynamics can help in designing weed management practices.