Tillage and weed management effect on productivity of wheat under soybean-wheat-greengram cropping system in conservation agriculture

Abstract

The effect of tillage and weed management practices on density and biomass of Medicago denticulata, Chenopodium album and Phalaris minor as well as productivity of wheat in soybean-wheat-greengram cropping system was evaluated during 2013–14 and 2014–15 at ICAR-DWR, Jabalpur. The density and biomass of weeds were reduced to maximum when conventional tillage was done in wheat under CT-CTfallow system followed by conventional tillage in wheat under CT-ZT-ZT system. While, weed density and biomass were minimum with zero tillage in wheat in the presence of residues of preceding soybean under ZT+R-ZT+R-ZT+R system followed by ZT-ZT+R-ZT+R system, which recorded higher grain and straw yields as well as gross and net monetary returns. Metsulfuron + clodinafop (4 + 60 g/ha) ready mixture applied at 25 DAS recorded the lowest weed density as well as biomass and higher crop yield and monetary returns. The interaction indicated that metsulfuron + clodinafop (4 + 60 g/ha) applied in wheat with zero tillage in presence of residues of preceding soybean under ZT+R-ZT+R-ZT+R and ZT-ZT+RZT+R system has resulted in lower weed density and biomass with higher weed control efficiency, grain and straw yields, higher gross and net monetary returns including B: C ratio than other combinations.