Vol. 11, Issue 4 (2022)

The soil of experimental field was clay loam in texture, low in available nitrogen (181.33 kg ha^-1), medium in available phosphorus (15.79 kg ha^-1) and high in available potassium (403.56 kg ha^-1) with 0.52 per cent organic carbon content. The soil was slightly alkaline in reaction (pH 8.17) with 0.29 dSm^-1 electrical conductivity. The soil physical properties viz., bulk density (1.33 g cm^-3), field capacity (36.30%) and permanent wilting point (18.32%), hydraulic conductivity (1.71 cm hr^-1) porosity (47.33%) indicate that the soil was moisture retentive and suitable for growing brinjal crop in kharif season. The growth parameters viz., plant height, number of primary branches plant^-1, number of secondary branches plant^-1, total number of branches plant^-1, number of leaves plant^-1, leaf area plant^-1, dry matter plant^-1, phenological parameters viz., days to first flower initiation, days to first picking, number of days from first flower initiation to first fruit harvest and physiological parameters viz., Absorbed PAR, photosynthetic rate, CO₂ concentration, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, stomatal resistance, leaf temperature of brinjal were significantly higher under the weed free treatment followed by mechanical (hoeing) intercultivation and pulling of weeds at 20 days interval from 20 to 80 days after transplanting of brinjal crop during both the years of experimentation.

The yield and yield attributes viz., number of fruits plant^-1, weight of fruits plant^-1, equatorial and polar diameter of fruits, fruit shape index, average weight of fruits, fruit yield significantly higher under weed free treatment followed by mechanical (hoeing) intercultivation and pulling of weeds at 20 days interval from 20 to 80 days after transplanting of brinjal crop during both the years of experimentation and on pooled mean basis.