Effect of Various Weed Management Options on Weed Dry Matter, Yield Attributes and Yield of Sweet Corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) under Organic Production System

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Instructional cum Research Farm, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C.G.) during kharif 2019 entitled “Effect of various weed management options on weed dry matter, yield attributes and yield of sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) under organic production system”. 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 weed flora of the experimental site was dominated by Echinocloa colona, Alternanthera sessilis, Parthenium hysterophorus, Cyperus iria. Results revealed that the highest green cob yield of sweet corn was recorded in stale seed bed + reduced spacing (upto 25%) + mulching with paddy straw + 20 DAS hand weeding (7.63t ha-1 ) which was 83.48% higher than the weedy check. The green cob yield in stale seed bed + reduced spacing (upto 25%) + mulching with paddy straw + 20 DAS hand weeding was found to be at par with mulching with waste polythene bags (ITK-practices) (7.45t ha- ), hand weeding twice carried out at 20 and 40 DAS (7.33 t ha-1) and soil solarization with 25µ polythene mulch during summer + one hand weeding at 20 DAS(6.94t ha-1). Although grain yield in other weed management practices was significantly lower than stale seed bed + reduced spacing (upto 25%) + mulching with paddy straw + 20 DAS hand weeding treatments but higher than weedy check. Similarly, As regards  total weed dry weight at harvest, the total lowest weed dry weight was observed in stale seed bed + reduced spacing (upto 25%) + mulching with paddy straw + hand weeding at 20 DAS(3.45gm-2) followed by mulching with waste polythene bags (ITK- practices)(4.71 gm-2), hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS (4.96gm-2)and soil solarization with 25µ polythene mulch during summer + one hand weeding at 20 DAS(5.08 gm-2). However, higher WCE was noticed in these treatment over weedy check. The weedy check was significantly inferior in all the yield attributes and green cob yield of sweet corn.