Unleashing the Power of Post-Emergence Herbicides: Eradicating Red Sprangletop (Leptochloa chinensis L.) Invaders in Rice Nurseries with a Fiery Precision

Abstract

Red/Chinese sprangletop (Leptochloa chinensis L.)is a serious grass weed in rice paddies. Red sprangletop (Leptochloa chinensis L.), has become a problematic terminal weed in rice-growing areas of Punjab, Pakistan. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of three combinations of synthetic herbicides: Leptokill @ 1000 mL hc^-1, Gorgan @ 1000 mL hc^-1, and Ricer @ 2500 mL hc-1, when applied as leaf sprays in rice nurseries, compared to a control group. The results showed that Gorgan exhibited highly significant (P<0.001) effectiveness in controlling this invasive weed, with mortalities of 23.33%, 42.21%, and 79.76% recorded after 7, 14, and 21 days of spraying (DAS) in 2020. Similarly, significant (P<0.001) mortalities were observed with Gorgan (23.33%, 32.21%, and 72.76%) and Leptokill (12.57%, 26.17%, and 59.43%) during the same period in 2021. In contrast, Ricer showed relatively lower mortality rates (12.57%, 29.19%, and 57.49% in 2020; 19.32%, 24.34%, and 66.56% in 2021). The coefficient of determination (R2) for mortality indicated a positive correlation for Leptokill, Gorgan, and Ricer, with values of 0.83, 0.96, and 0.95 in 2020, and 0.94, 0.88, and 0.83 in 2021, respectively. These results suggest that Gorgan is highly effective in controlling this invasive weed species in rice fields.