Vol. 11, Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Neha and MC Bhambri

Abstract:
A field experiment was conducted at Instructional cum Research Farm, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C.G.) during kharif 2019. The soil of the experimental site was clayey in texture, neutral in reaction and low in nitrogen, medium in phosphorus and high in potassium. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The treatments were W₁- Hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS, W₂- One mechanical weeding at 20 DAS + one hand weeding at 40 DAS, W₃ -Intercropping with black gram (1:1), W4- Stale seed bed + reduced spacing (upto 25%) + mulching with paddy straw + hand weeding at 20 DAS, W₅- Locally available weed mulch (Lantana camera) + one hand pulling at 20 DAS, W₆- Incorporation of neem cake 15 days before sowing, @ 5 tonnes ha-1 + hand weeding at 20 DAS, W₇- Soil solarization with 25µ polythene mulch during summer + one hand weeding at 20 DAS, W₈- Mulching with waste polythene bags (ITK- practices) and W9- Weedy check. The weed flora of the experimental site was dominated with Echinocloa colona, Alternanthera sessilis, Parthenium hysterophorus, Cyperus iria. Results revealed that all the yield attributes and green cob yield was highest in stale seed bed + reduced spacing (upto 25%) + mulching with paddy straw + hand weeding at 20 DAS treatment and it was at par with mulching with waste polythene bags (ITK-practices), hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS and soil solarization with 25µ polythene mulch during summer + one hand weeding at 20 DAS. Similarly, weed density was also significantly reduced in these treatments over others. However, higher WCE was noticed in these treatment over weedy.