Effect of weed management on weed dynamics and yield of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)

Introduction

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), locally known as 'Methi', is an important seed spice and leafy vegetable belonging to the family Fabaceae. It is mainly cultivated during the rabi season under cool and dry climatic conditions. Fenugreek is a multipurpose crop whose leaves and seeds are widely used as vegetables, spices, condiments and for medicinal purposes. Its seeds are nutritionally rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, gums, mucilage and bioactive compounds such as trigonelline and saponins. India is one of the major producers of fenugreek, with Rajasthan being the leading producing state. However, the productivity of fenugreek remains below its potential, largely because of severe weed competition during the early stages of crop growth. Weeds compete with fenugreek for moisture, nutrients, light and space and may cause substantial yield losses. The first 25-32 days after sowing are particularly critical for weed management (Malunjkar et al., 2022; Singh et al., 2022) [3,10] . Manual weeding is labour-intensive and costly; therefore, herbicides provide an effective alternative for timely weed management. Pendimethalin has been reported to provide effective pre-emergence control of several annual weeds in fenugreek (Sharma, 2009; Singh et al., 2014) [9, 10] . However, its effectiveness is mainly restricted to early crop growth. Imazethapyr, a systemic herbicide with pre-and post-emergence activity, offers broader-spectrum weed control and has been widely used in leguminous crops (Dixit and Varshney, 2007) [1] . Hence, evaluating suitable herbicides and their application strategies is essential for effective weed management and improving the productivity of fenugreek.

Materials and Methods

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, to assess the "Effect of Weed Management on Weed Dynamics and Yield of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum L.)". The experimental site is located in a semi-arid, subtropical climate characterized by extreme temperature variations, with hot and dry summers (maximum temperature up to 45 °C) and cold winters (minimum temperature as low as 2.8 °C). The area receives an average annual rainfall of 500-800 mm, mostly concentrated during the monsoon season. The soil of the experimental field was sandy loam in texture, saline in reaction, with the following initial characteristics: Soil of the experimental field was sandy loam intexture, saline in reaction with a pH value of 7.62, EC (0.48 dSm -1 ), poor in organic carbon (0.34%), low in available nitrogen (134.25 kg/ha), phosphorus (13.25kg/ha) and (178.15 kg/ha) but medium in available potassium (320 kg/ha). The chickpea variety 'RMt-1' was used in the experiment. The experiment comprised seven treatments with randomized block design with three replications. The collected data were statistically analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) appropriate for the RBD design to determine the significance of treatment effects.

Results and Discussion

Weed dynamics 3.1.1 Weed density

Weed management practices significantly reduced weed density at 30, 60 DAS and at harvest compared with the weedy check. The minimum weed density was recorded with T₂: pendimethalin @ 750 g ha⁻¹ (PE), with 6.52, 11.45 and 2.45 weeds m⁻² at 30, 60 DAS and harvest, respectively. It was followed by T₆: imazethapyr @ 70 g ha⁻¹ (PoE) followed by one hand weeding at 40 DAS, which recorded 12.36, 19.48 and 4.85 weeds m⁻², respectively. In contrast, the maximum weed density was observed under T₀: weedy check (32.35, 38.35 and 17.32 weeds m⁻²). The superior performance of pendimethalin may be attributed to its pre-emergence activity, which effectively suppressed the emergence of annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds during the critical early growth period of fenugreek. Similar results were reported by Mehta et al. (2010) [7] , who observed effective weed suppression with pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg ha⁻¹ in fenugreek. Dungarwal et al. (2002) [2] also reported that pre-emergence pendimethalin was highly effective in controlling weeds in fenugreek and improved crop growth and seed yield.

Weed dry matter

Weed dry matter followed a trend similar to weed density. Pendimethalin @ 750 g ha⁻¹ recorded the lowest weed dry matter of 12.06, 20.04 and 17.24 g m⁻² at 30, 60 DAS and harvest, respectively, whereas the highest weed dry matter was recorded under the weedy check. T₆ was the next best treatment, with 22.87, 33.57 and 21.20 g m⁻², respectively. Reduced weed biomass under pendimethalin indicates effective suppression of weed emergence and subsequent weed growth. Similar findings were reported by Meena et al. (2024) [4] , who found that pendimethalin-based treatments significantly reduced weed density and weed dry matter in fenugreek under western Rajasthan conditions. Malunjkar et al. also reported that effective weed management substantially reduced weed density and dry matter while increasing crop yield and nutrient uptake in fenugreek.

Weed control efficiency and weed index

Weed control efficiency was significantly influenced by weed management treatments. T₂ recorded the highest weed control efficiency of 54.39, 44.86 and 35.20% at 30, 60 DAS and harvest, respectively, followed by T₆ with 37.78, 28.99 and 28.33%. The lowest efficiency was observed with T₄. Weed index was also lowest under T₂ (10.09%) compared with 37.85% under the weedy check. The higher weed control efficiency and lower weed index under pendimethalin demonstrate its effectiveness in reducing cropweed competition. Earlier studies have similarly established the superiority of pendimethalin and integrated herbicide-based approaches for reducing weed interference and improving fenugreek productivity.

Growth attributes

Plant population was not significantly affected by weed management at 30 DAS or harvest, although numerically higher plant population was observed in weed-free and pendimethalin treatments. In contrast, plant height and dry matter accumulation were significantly influenced. Pendimethalin @ 750 g ha⁻¹ recorded plant height of 16.89, 39.25 and 53.75 cm at 30, 60 DAS and harvest, respectively, compared with 13.35, 28.36 and 38.45 cm under the weedy check. Dry matter accumulation under T₂ was 4.15, 8.45 and 17.88 g plant⁻¹, compared with 2.75, 5.78 and 12.36 g plant⁻¹ in the weedy check. The improvement in growth under effective weed management may be due to reduced competition for moisture, nutrients, light and growing space, allowing fenugreek plants to utilize available resources more efficiently. Meena et al. (2024) [5] similarly reported improved plant height and dry matter accumulation with effective herbicidal weed management in fenugreek. The number of root nodules also increased significantly. T₂ recorded 32.08 nodules plant⁻¹, compared with only 20.32 nodules plant⁻¹ under the weedy check. T₆ recorded 30.28 nodules plant⁻¹. Reduced weed competition probably promoted better root development and rhizobial activity, thereby favouring nodulation.

Yield attributes and yield

Weed management significantly improved yield attributes. Pendimethalin @ 750 g ha⁻¹ recorded 34.58 pods plant⁻¹, 11.95 seeds pod⁻¹ and 12.28 cm pod length, compared with 25.32 pods plant⁻¹, 10.32 seeds pod⁻¹ and 11.36 cm pod length under the weedy check. Test weight was also higher with T₂ (12.25 g) than the weedy check (11.25 g). The improvement in yield attributes can be explained by better vegetative growth, greater nodulation and reduced competition during the critical crop establishment period. Similar results were obtained by Mehta et al. (2010) [7] , who reported higher pod length, pods plant⁻¹, seeds pod⁻¹ and seed yield with pendimethalin-based weed management in fenugreek. Grain yield was highest under T₂ at 14.25 q ha⁻¹, followed by T₆ (13.65 q ha⁻¹) and T₃ (12.85 q ha⁻¹), whereas the weedy check produced only 9.85 q ha⁻¹. Straw yield was also highest with T₂ (33.33 q ha⁻¹) compared with 23.65 q ha⁻¹ under the weedy check. Biological yield reached 47.58 q ha⁻¹ under T₂ compared with 33.50 q ha⁻¹ under T₀, while harvest index remained statistically nonsignificant. These results agree with Meena et al. (2025) [6] , who reported substantial improvement in fenugreek seed and straw yields through effective herbicide-based weed management under western Rajasthan conditions. Malunjkar et al. also demonstrated that effective weed control markedly improved yield attributes and seed yield of fenugreek compared with weedy conditions.

Nutrient content and uptake

Weed management significantly affected nutrient concentration in grain and straw. Under T₂, nitrogen content reached 3.18% in grain and 0.95% in straw, compared with 2.85 and 0.91%, respectively, under the weedy check. Phosphorus content under T₂ was 0.43% in grain and 0.16% in straw, compared with 0.29 and 0.09% under T₀. Potassium content was also maximum under T₂, with 0.80% in grain and 0.97% in straw, compared with 0.68 and 0.88% under the weedy check. Higher nutrient concentration under effective weed control indicates reduced competition for available soil nutrients and improved crop nutrient acquisition. Nitrogen uptake by grain and straw under T₂ was 45.32 and 31.66 kg ha⁻¹, respectively, compared with 28.07 and 19.16 kg ha⁻¹ under the weedy check. Similarly, P uptake was 6.13 and 5.33 kg ha⁻¹, while K uptake was 11.40 and 32.33 kg ha⁻¹ in grain and straw, respectively. The higher nutrient uptake was mainly a consequence of improved plant growth and greater biomass and grain production under efficient weed control.

Conclusion

The results clearly demonstrate that early and effective suppression of weeds is essential for obtaining higher productivity in fenugreek. Pendimethalin @ 750 g ha⁻¹ as preemergence (T₂) consistently performed better than the other herbicidal treatments by reducing weed density and dry matter, increasing weed control efficiency and minimizing weed index. Consequently, crop growth, nodulation, yield attributes, grain and straw yield, nutrient concentration and nutrient uptake were improved. The findings are supported by earlier research demonstrating the effectiveness of pendimethalin and integrated herbicide-based approaches in fenugreek.

References

1. Dixit A, Varshney JG. Bioefficacy of imazethapyr against weeds in soybean. Annual Report, National Research Centre for Weed Science. Jabalpur; 2007. p. 7-8.
2. Dungarwal HS, Chaplot PC, Nagda BL. Effect of weed management practices on growth and yield of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Journal of Agriculture. 2002;18:23-26.
3. Malunjkar BD, Verma A, Choudhary R, Choudhary RS, Kaushik MK, Mali GR. Production of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) as influenced by weed management practices and vermicompost application. Legume Research. 2022;45(1):68-72. doi:10.18805/LR-4363.
4. Meena V, Mehriya ML, Kumar A, Raiger PR. Assessment of the efficacy of different herbicides on growth parameters of fenugreek in Western Rajasthan. Annals of Agricultural Research. 2024;45(3):290-295.
5. Meena V, Mehriya ML, Kumar A, Raiger PR, Kikraliya DL. Efficacy of different herbicides on fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) under western Rajasthan. Annals of Agricultural Research. 2024;45(2):171-177.
6. Meena V, Mehriya ML, Kumar A, Raiger PR, Shukla UN, Singh A, et al. Efficacy of different herbicides on yield and yield attributes of fenugreek under western Rajasthan. International Journal of Research in Agronomy. 2025;8(2S):111-113.
7. Mehta RS, Patel BS, Meena SS, Mehta RS. Effect of weed management practices on growth and yield of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2010;80(7):613-615.
8. Ruwali P, Pandey N, Jindal K, Singh RV. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum): nutraceutical values, phytochemical, ethnomedicinal and pharmacological overview. South African Journal of Botany. 2022;151:423431.
9. Sharma OL. Integrated weed management in fenugreek. Indian Journal of Weed Science. 2009;41:133-135.
10. Singh R, Choudhary S, Mehta RS, Aishwath OP, Lal G. Yield losses due to weeds, critical period for weed-crop competition in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Legume Research. 2022;45(10):1317-1324. doi:10.18805/LR-4369.