Effects of weed-management on weeds and baby corn (Zea mays) under northwestern Indian Himalayas

Abstract

A field experiment for evaluating indices of weed management and economics of baby corn (Zea mays L.) was conducted at the research farms of Mountain Livestock Research Institute, Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir during the rainy (kharif) season of 2014 and 2015. The experiment comprising 11 treatments [Farmers practice (W1); earthing-up and weeding at 30 and 45 DAS (W2); atrazine @ 1.5 kg a.i./ha pre-emergence at 1 DAS (W3); atrazine @ 1.5 kg a.i./ha early post-emergence at 10 DAS (W4); straw mulch (@ 1 kg/m2 paddy straw) at 1 DAS (W5); straw mulch (@ 1 kg/m2 brown sarson) at 1 DAS (W6); polyethylene mulch (90 mm black) at 1 DAS (W7); polyethylene mulch (90 mm white) at 1 DAS (W8); saw mulch (1.5 cm depth) at 1 DAS (W9); weedy check (W10) and weed-free (W11)] was laid out in a randomized complete-block design 3 replications. Treatment W11 recorded significantly lowest weed density (2.03) and dry-matter accumulation, but the highest cob yield among all the treatments, whereas the highest values of weed density and dry-matter accumulation were recorded in the W10 treatment. The highest cob yield with and without husk was recorded in weed-free plot followed by the black and white polythene mulched plots, respectively. The husked and unhusked cob yield in black polythene-mulched treatments was higher than the weedy check and farmers practice by 32 and 41% and 7 and 11%, respectively. The highest net profit (`91,760 and `94,994) and benefit: cost ratio (1.54 and 1.58) for 2014 and 2015, respectively, was recorded for earthing-up and weeding at 30 and 45 DAS treatment. However, white polyethylene recorded the lowest values of net returns (`45,802 and `48,128) and benefit: cost ratio (0.45 and 0.47) for 2014 and 2015