Growth, yield and quality of maize (Zea mays L.) as influenced by straw mulching and herbicides

Abstract

The field experiment was carried out at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and Regional Research Station Gurdaspur (PAU) during kharif 2017 to assess the effect of straw mulching and weed control treatments on growth parameters, yield and quality of maize. Application of paddy straw mulch at 9.0 t/ha produced significantly higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, leaf area index and grain yield in comparison to 6.25 t/hamulch and no mulch treatments; however, 6.25 and 9.0 t/hamulch treatments remained statistically at par with each other with respect to number of leaves per plant. Straw mulch at 6.25 t/ha also resulted in significantly higher plant height, number of leaves per plant, dry matter accumulation, leaf area index and grain yield than no mulch treatment. Among the herbicide treatments, post-emergence application of tembotrione at 0.088 kg/ha recorded significantly higher plant height, number of leaves per plant, dry matter accumulation, leaf area index and grain yield as compared to pre-emergence application of atrazine at 0.8 kg/ha, atrazine at 1.0 kg/ha and unweeded check but remained statistically at par with tembotrione at 0.110 kg/ha and weed free treatments. Protein and oil contents in maize grains were not significantly influenced by different straw mulch and weed control treatments.