Influence of Water Management and Weeding Practices on the Growth and Yield of Boro Rice (cv. BRRI dhan29)

A field experiment was carried out at the Agronomy Field Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during the Boro season (December 2014–June 2015) to evaluate the effects of different water- and weed-management practices on the performance of the rice variety BRRI dhan29. The study employed a split-plot design with three replications. The main plots were assigned three irrigation strategies: the conventional farmers’ method (M₁), alternate wetting and drying (AWD) (M₂), and the system of rice intensification (SRI) (M₃). The subplots tested six weed-control treatments: no weeding (W₀); pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 10WP alone (W₁); pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 10WP combined with one hand weeding at 30 days after transplanting (DAT) (W₂); pendimethalin 33 EC alone (W₃); pendimethalin 33 EC with one hand weeding at 30 DAT (W₄); and a combination of pendimethalin 33 EC and pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 10WP (Panida + Manage) (W₅).The predominant weeds observed across the treatments included Paspalum scrobiculatum, Echinochloa crus-galli, Cyperus difformis, Scirpusjuncoides, and Digitariasetigera. Water-mangement practices had a significant influence on key yield-related traits, including the total and effective number of tillers per hill, panicle length, grain number per panicle, and harvest index. Among the irrigation methods, SRI produced the highest grain yield, largely due to its promotion of increased total and effective tillers.n terms of weed management, the combined application of pendimethalin 33 EC and pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 10WP (W₅) resulted in the best yield, performing comparably to W₁ and W₂. The interaction between water and weed management revealed that SRI coupled with the W₅ herbicide mixture provided the most effective weed suppression and the highest grain yield overall.n conclusion, adopting the SRI method in combination with the integrated use of pendimethalin 33 EC and pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 10WP is a highly effective approach for enhancing weed control and maximizing productivity in Boro rice cultivation.