Assessment of critical period of crop-weed competition in coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.)

Introduction

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), popularly known as Dhania in India is one of the oldest cultivated seed spice crops in the world and occupies a prominent position among aromatic and medicinal plants. It belongs to the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). The economic importance of coriander is largely attributed to its essential oil content and phytochemical composition. Due to its distinct medicinal and aromatic properties, it has significant demand in the pharmaceutical industry (Patel et al., 2013) [10] . Leaves and seeds of coriander are highly valued as food mainly for its high vitamin A and vitamin C. Due to its rich chemical composition, rich taste and aroma, coriander fruits are worthful for processing purposes. Coriander fruit possesses its delicate and refreshing flavour mainly due to essential oils, which contains variable volatile compounds, such as linalool, geraniol, α pinene and others (Weiss, 2002) [16] . According to the 2024-2025, India's total coriander production stands at 8.44 lakh metric tonnes, covering an area of 6.10 lakh hectares with a productivity of 1.40 MT/hectare (Anonymous, 2024) [1] . In India, coriander is largely cultivated in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal states etc. Weeds compete with crop plants for water, nutrients, space and solar radiations resulting in reduction of yield by 20 to 50% (Bhan,1998) [2] . Weed management plays a crucial role in crop production, as weeds can significantly reduce both yield and quality. Coriander, a short-stature crop with slow initial growth is severely smothered due to the infestation of weeds at early stages of growth, which causes severe competition and may result in complete crop failure (Kushwaha et al., 2002) [4] . Severe yield losses caused by weed infestation highlight the importance of understanding weed emergence patterns at different stages of crop growth and their competitive interactions with the crop. Identifying the critical period of crop-weed competition is essential for developing effective integrated weed management strategies that minimize yield losses in coriander seed crop. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate weed dynamics, yield and economics due to weed competition and determine the critical period of crop-weed competition in coriander seed crop.

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2025-26 at the Research Farm of the Department of Vegetable Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana. The experimental site is situated at 29°10' N latitude and 75°46' E longitude with an elevation of 215.2 m above mean sea level. The soil of the experimental field was sandy loam in texture, slightly alkaline in reaction (pH 7.6), having 0.48 per cent organic carbon, 128.3 kg ha⁻¹ available nitrogen, 15.5 kg ha⁻¹ available phosphorus and 224.8 kg ha⁻¹ available potassium. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications using coriander variety Hisar Bhoomit (DH-228). The crop was sown on 19 November 2025 with a spacing of 30 cm × 20 cm using a seed rate of 10 kg ha⁻¹. The experiment consisted of 15 weed management treatments. These included maintaining the crop weed-free up to 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 DAS followed by weedy thereafter (T 1 -T 6 ), keeping the crop weed-free throughout the growing season (T 7 ), allowing weeds up to 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 DAS followed by weed-free conditions (T 8 -T 13 ), maintaining weedy conditions throughout the crop season (T 14 ) and applying pendimethalin 30% EC @ 1.25 kg ha⁻¹ as a pre-emergence herbicide (T 15 ). Recommended fertilizer doses of 62.5 kg nitrogen and 50 kg phosphorus per hectare were applied, with the full dose of phosphorus and half dose of nitrogen applied at sowing and the remaining nitrogen top-dressed 6-8 weeks after sowing. Pendimethalin 30% EC (Stomp) @ 3.33 litre/ha was dissolved in 625 liters of water for spraying as preemergence as per one hectare area within three days of sowing as a pre-emergence herbicide, whereas hand hoeing for weed removal was carried out at the specified intervals according to treatment requirements and no weed was left in weed free treatments. To work out the weed count per unit area, a quadrat of 1m x 1m was placed randomly in each treatment plot and number of weeds growing within this area was counted and recorded at 30, 60, 90 and at harvest. For dry weight of weeds were uprooted from the 1.0 m 2 area selected at random, each time and were oven dried to a constant weight at 65°C for 48 hr and dry weight of weeds for each treatment was recorded at 30, 60, 90 and at harvest. To draw a valid conclusion, the weed count data and weed dry weight were subjected to square root transformation. All other recommended agronomic practices, including irrigation, thinning, plant protection measures and intercultural operations were uniformly followed throughout the crop growing period.

Results and Discussion

Seed yield and biological yield

The application of different weed management treatments resulted in significant differences in the seed and biological yield of coriander as given in Table 1. All the weed-management treatments resulted in significantly higher seed yield, biological yield and harvest index under weed free crop condition. Maximum seed yield (kg/ha) was recorded under the treatment T 7 (1819 kg/ha) which was found to be statistically at par with treatment T 3 (1710kg/ha), T 4 (1781kg/ha), T 5 (1798kg/ha), T 6 (1812kg/ha) and T 8 (1724 kg/ha). Maximum biological yield (kg/plant) was recorded under the treatment T 7 (4835 kg/ha) which was found to be statisticaly at par with treatment T 3 (4648 kg/ha), T 4 (4709 kg/ha), T 5 (4762 kg/ha), T 6 (4819 kg/ha) and T 8 (4689 kg/ha). Maximum harvest index (%) was recorded under the treatment T 7 (37.85). However, significantly minimum seed yield, straw yield and harvest index was recorded when weed management practices were not adopted i.e. Weedy upto harvest (T 7 ). Maintaining the crop free from weeds throughout the growing season ensured greater availability of essential resources such as light, water, nutrients and space to the crop plants. This created a more favourable environment for plant growth and development resulting in improved yield attributes. Similar research outcomes were reported by Meena et al. (2014) [5] , Patil et al. (2020) [12] , Rathod et al. (2021) [14] and Priyanka et al. (2024) [13] in coriander, Patel et al. (2019) [11] in ajwain, Mehriya et al. (2008) [8] , Yadav et al. (2012) [17] and Birla et al. (2016) [3] in cumin.

Economics

The application of different weed management treatments resulted in significant differences in the economics of coriander seed crop as shown in Table 2. The highest net return (₹81,262/ha) was obtained under treatment T 4 (weed free up to 80 DAS and weedy thereafter), followed closely by T 5 (weed free up to 100 DAS and weedy thereafter) with net returns of ₹81,132/ha. A similar trend was observed for the benefit cost ratio. Treatment T 4 recorded the highest B C ratio (1.71), followed by T 5 (1.70) indicating superior economic efficiency of maintaining the crop weed-free during the early growth stages. These findings suggest that timely weed management during the critical growth period not only improves crop productivity but also enhances economic returns by maximizing resource-use efficiency and profitability. Similar outcomes were reported by Patil et al. (2020) [12] and Rathod et al. (2021) [14] in coriander.

Weed count

The experimental field was infested with the following weed species during the crop growth period: Chenopodium album (Bathua), Poa annua (Annual bluegrass), Chenopodium murale (Khara Bathua), Fumaria parviflora (Pitpapda), Convolvulus arvensis (Hirankhuri), Cyperus rotundus (Motha), Amaranthus viridis (Chaulai), Cynodon dactylon (Doob Ghaas), Medicago denticulata (Jungli Berseem), Phalaris minor (Gulli Danda) and Rumex dentatus (Jungli Palak). The data presented in Table 3 showed that weed management treatments significantly affected weed population at different crop growth stages. At 30 DAS, the minimum weed population (0.7 no./m²) was recorded in treatments T 2 -T 8 , while the maximum (19.7 no./m²) was observed in T 11 . At 60 DAS, the lowest weed population (0.7 no./m²) was recorded in T 3 -T 9 and the highest (18.5 no./m²) in T 13 . Similarly, at 90 DAS, the minimum weed population (0.7 no./m²) was observed in T 5 -T 11 , whereas the maximum (16.7 no./m²) was recorded in T 13 . At harvest, the lowest weed population (0.7 no./m²) was recorded in T 7 -T 13 , while the highest (12.6 no./m²) was observed in T 14 . The reduced weed population under effective weed management treatments was due to timely weed control, which suppressed weed emergence and growth throughout the crop season. In contrast, continuous weed infestation resulted in higher weed density because of unchecked weed growth. Similar findings were reported by Sagarka et al. (2005) [15] and Patil et al. (2020) [12] in coriander, Patel et al. (2019) [11] in ajwain. Weed free upto 100 DAS and weedy thereafter 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 6.0 (36.4) T-6

Weed free upto 120 DAS and weedy thereafter 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 4.9 (24.0) T-7

Weed free upto harvest 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) T-8

Weedy upto 20 DAS and weed free thereafter 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 0.7 (0.0) 0.

Dry weight of weeds

The data presented in Table 4 indicated that weed management treatments significantly influenced weed dry weight at different growth stages of coriander. At 30 DAS, the minimum weed dry weight (0.7 g/m²) was recorded in treatments T 2 -T 8 , while the maximum (5.9 g/m²) was observed in T 11 . At 60 DAS, the lowest weed dry weight (0.7 g/m²) was recorded in T 3 -T 9 and the highest (9.2 g/m²) in T 13 . Similarly, at 90 DAS, the minimum weed dry weight (0.7 g/m²) was observed in T 5 -T 11 , whereas the maximum (15.6 g/m²) was recorded in T 14 . At harvest, the lowest weed dry weight (0.7 g/m²) was recorded in T 7 -T 13 , while the highest (20.5 g/m²) was observed in T 14 . The lower weed dry weight under effective weed management treatments was attributed to efficient suppression of weed growth and reduced biomass accumulation, whereas continuous weed infestation resulted in greater weed biomass. Comparable results were obtained by Nagar et al. (2009) [9] , Patil et al. (2020) [12] and Rathod et al. (2021) [14] in coriander, Patel et al. (2019) [11] in ajwain, Meena et al. (2009) [7] in cumin, Meena et al. (2013) [6] in dill seed.

Conclusion

Based on one year study, it may be concluded that weed management practices significantly influenced weed dynamics, yield and economics of coriander. Maintaining the crop weed-free throughout the growing season produced the highest seed yield (1819 kg/ha), biological yield (4835 kg/ha) and harvest index (37.85%). The critical period of crop-weed competition in coriander was found in between 20 to 60 DAS. Therefore, the crop should be kept weed-free during this period to prevent significant yield loss. Economically maintaining the crop weedfree up to 80 DAS followed by weedy conditions proved to be the most profitable treatment recording the highest net return (₹81,262/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (1.71). Thus, timely weed management during the critical period is essential for maximizing coriander productivity and profitability.

References

1. Selected state-wise area, production and productivity of coriander in India (2024). New Delhi: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India; 2024. https://www.indiastat.com/
2. Bhan VM. Weed management in crops-A review. Indian Journal of Agronomy. 1998;43(1):1-12.
3. Birla L, Naruka IS, Shaktawat RP, Ajnave SR. Integrated weed management in cumin. Indian Journal of Weed Science. 2016;48(1):102-104.
4. Kushwaha HS, Tripathi ML, Singh VB. Weed management in coriander (Coriandrum sativum). In: Proceedings of the Second International Agronomy Congress on Balancing Food and Environment Security: A Continuing Challenge; 2002. p. 985-987.
5. Meena RS, Meena SS, Kakani RK, Meena NK. Influence of agronomic practices on growth and yield attributes of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.). International Journal of Seed Spices. 2014;4(1):45-49.
6. Meena SK, Desai LJ, Ali S, Nagar S. Effect of weed management on yield, quality and weed parameters in dill seed (Anethum graveolens L.). International Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2013;9(2):723-727.
7. Meena SS, Kakani RK, Mehta RS. Economic feasibility of weed management practices in cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.). Journal of Spices and Aromatic Crops. 2009;18(1):9-12.
8. Mehriya ML, Yadav RS, Jangir RP, Poonia BL. Effect of different weed management practices on weeds and yield of cumin. Annals of Arid Zone. 2008;47(2):139-144.
9. Nagar RK, Meena BS, Dadheech RC. Effect of integrated weed and nutrient management on weed density, productivity and economics of coriander (Coriandrum sativum). Indian Journal of Weed Science. 2009;41(1/2):71-75.
10. Patel CB, Amin AU, Patel AL. Effect of varying levels of nitrogen and sulphur on growth and yield of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.). The Bioscan. 2013;8(4):12851289.
11. Patel SM, Amin AU, Patel JA. Integrated weed management in ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi). International Journal of Seed Spices. 2019;9(2):37-43.
12. Patil JK, Amin AU, Tamboli YA, Patel UV. Growth, yield attributes and yield of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) as influenced by weed management practices and nitrogen levels. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. 2020;9(4):328-338.
13. Priyanka, Patil AG, Mangesh, Narayanpur VB, Patil SV, Farooq M, et al. Studies on weed management practices in coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.). International Journal of Research in Agronomy. 2024;7(11):512-515.
14. Rathod S, Jat RK, Prajapati S, Solanki N, Brahmbhatt J. Integrated weed management in coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.). International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. 2021;10(5):160-169.
15. Sagarka BK, Ramani BB, Mathukia RK, Khanpara VD. Integrated weed management in coriander. Indian Journal of Weed Science. 2005;37(3/4):231-233.
16. Weiss EA. Spice crops. Wallingford: CAB International; 2002.
17. Yadav A, Patel JC, Mehta RS, Meena T. Growth, yields and economics of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) production as affected by weed management practices. International Journal of Seed Spices. 2012;2(2):27-29.