HARYANA JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY

Transcription

1

2 HARYANA JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY Volume 28 June & December 2012 No. 1 & 2 CONTENTS Weed control efficacy of trifluralin in cotton in N-W. India Samunder Singh, S. S. Punia, Attar Singh and A. P. S. Brar Growth and yield of baby corn (Zea mays L.) as influenced by sowing dates and weed management practices under temperate conditions R. Kotru, Lal Singh, Parmeet Singh, Sameera Qayoom, K. N. Singh and Lateef Ahmad Legume intercropping and in-situ green manuring as well as FYM application in maize along with inorganic fertilizers in wheat for sustainability of maize-wheat system under rainfed conditions Vikas Gupta, Anil Kumar, B. C. Sharma, Mahender Singh and Jai Kumar Effect of phosphorus and potassium application on yield, quality and potassium uptake by cotton in a sandy loam soil K. S. Grewal and B. S. Duhan Effect of intercrops on yield and economics of maize based intercropping system M. V. Singh, B. N. Misra and Neeraj Kumar Productivity and economics of winter maize with Intercrops M. V. Singh, Neeraj Kumar and B. N. Mishra Effect of nitrogen levels and biofertilizer strains on dry matter production and attraction index in pearl millet Parveen Kumar, R. S. Hooda, Suresh Kumar and Karmal Singh Effect of integrated nutrient management on yield and nutrients uptake by rice (Oryza sativa) B. S. Duhan On-farm performance of scented rice varieties under agro-climatic conditions of Hisar O. P. Nehra Performance of grain cowpea genotypes at the farmers fields Vinita Jain and O. P. Nehra Varietal performance of kharif and rabi crops under rainfed conditions in western parts of Haryana P. K. Verma, S. B. Mittal, O. P. Nehra and S. K. Sharma Effect of integrated nutrient management on crop productivity and soil health under cereal-cereal cropping sequence Pawan Kumar, S. K. Yadav, Manoj Kumar and R. K. Nanwal Bio-efficiency of Hizyme-G as source of essential nutrient for the improvement of physiological traits, yield and quality of Wheat K. D. Sharma, A. Kumar and K. S. Patro Published by Dr. Parvender Sheoran, Secretary, Haryana Agronomists Association (HAA), Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India. Editor-in-Chief : Dr. Samunder Singh. Printed at Systematic Printers, Udaipurian Street, Near Video Market, Hisar, Ph.: (O) (M) (31 December, 2013)

3 Effect of sowing techniques on spring sunflower assessment through front line demonstrations O. P. Lathwal, K. S. Ahlawat, Parminder Singh and Renu Devi Integrated nutrient management and weed control in wheat (Triticum aestivum L) Rajesh Kumar Bhatia, V. P. Singh and Amarjeet Effect of integrated nutrient management and weed control on yield and nutrient uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum L) and weeds Rajesh Kumar Bhatia, V. P. Singh and Amarjeet Performance of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as influenced by different varieties, row spacing and seeding rate Hari Ram, Baljit Singh and Sarvjeet Singh Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Yield and Nutrient Uptake by Raya (Brassica juncea (L.) B. S. Duhan and K. S. Grewal Studies on weed management in berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) Samunder Singh More rice with less water-resource conservation technologies in Indo Gangatic Plains. Shweta and Manu Malik Evaluation of pinoxaden in combination with metsulfuron against complex weed flora in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Sanjeev Dhanda, Naresh Sangwan and S. S. Punia Development of Insecticide Resistance and Cross-Resistance in Indoxacarb-Selected Strain of Spotted Bollworm, Earias vittella (Fab.) Tarun Verma, R. K. Saini and P. D. Sharma Evaluation of gypsum application in irrigated groundnut and sesame crops at farmers fields Vinita Jain and O. P. Nehra Evaluation of Columbus, a new brand of clodinafop - propargyl 15 WP against Phalaris minor in wheat and its residual effect on succeeding sorghum crop S. S. Punia, Dharambir Yadav, V. S. Hooda, Anil Dhaka and Yash Pal Malik Performance of different wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties under irrigated conditions of rice-wheat cropping system O. P. Lathwal, K. S. Ahlawat, Parminder Singh, Renu Devi, Hans Raj and Vikas Bhardwaj

4 Haryana J. Agron. 28 (1 & 2) : 1-10 (2012) Weed control efficacy of trifluralin in cotton in N-W. India SAMUNDER SINGH, S. S. PUNIA, ATTAR SINGH 1 AND A. P. S. BRAR 2 Department of Agronomy, CCS HAU Hisar , India Received on Accepted on ABSTRACT Weeds are a major constraint in realizing the yield potential of cotton due to its slow initial growth and wide spacing. Hot and humid weather results in several flushes of weeds competing with cotton plants and mechanical methods are less suitable to due frequent rains. Early crop establishment provides an impetus to growth and lower losses by weed competition. Efficacy of soil incorporated herbicides is greatly influenced by application methods. Field studies were carried out at 22 locations in Haryana and Punjab to assess the role of different factors viz. incorporation methods, soil types and cultivars on trifluralin efficacy. Rotavator incorporation of trifluralin was superior to its incorporation by disc harrow or tine cultivator followed by planker. Multiple nozzle boom with flat fan nozzles was as effective as tractor sprayer, but efficacy of hollow cone nozzles was less than flat fan nozzles. Trifluralin was found more effective compared to pendimethalin against several cotton weeds. Soil types had no significant effect on weed control efficacy of trifluralin, but affected plant growth. Similarly, Bt cotton varieties out yielded non-bt varieties, but had no bearing on weed control efficacy of trifluralin. Due to incessant rains trifluralin efficacy was reduced significantly after 50 days of incorporation and integration of manual/mechanical weeding provided better conditions for plant growth resulting in higher boll numbers and boll weight. Key words : Trifluralin, rotavator, disc harrow, cultivator, weed control efficacy, yield parameters INTRODUCTION Cotton is the most important fiber crop of the world grown in 69 countries in an area of m ha with annual production of mt of lint. This is a vital cash crop in India and with the adoption of Bt cotton in the last decade, area and productivity increased significantly, along with lowering the use of insecticides, thus improving farmer s health and environment. Today, India has one third of world cotton area, but the average productivity is less than two third. There is large gap between the average and potential yield of cotton. Though there are several Indian farmers who are producing even greater than world averages, but that is not replicated by majority of cotton growers. Increased row spacing and slow initial growth of cotton makes it most vulnerable to competition from weeds which not only usurps essential fertilizer nutrients and moisture, but also impede cotton growth. Poor crop stand due to weed competition has been found to lower production by 30-90% depending upon weed pressure. The first 30 to 60 days are more crucial in realizing optimum yield of cotton. Weeds deplete nutrients from 10-90% resulting in a loss of crop yield by 67-78% in northern India (Singh et al., 1988). Under Delhi conditions, Mani (1975) found that on average weeds drained off 46.6 kg N, 12.1 kg P 2 O 5 and 73.3 kg K 2 O. Under weedy conditions, every quintal of weed dry matter removed 0.81, 0.32 and 2.11 kg of N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O, respectively, causing drastic reduction (77%) of cotton yield from 6.3 to 1.47 q/ha (Shanmugam and Meenakshisundaram, 1977). Singh and Malik (1993) reported that weeds reduced seed cotton yield by 38-50%. In another study, weeds in cotton were found to corner 42, 18 and 100 kg/ha of N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O, respectively. Under weedy conditions the uptake of nutrients by crop was also reduced from 43 to 14, 10 to 4 and 58 to 17 kg/ha, respectively of N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O reducing seed cotton yield from 11 to 6 q/ha (Singh and Malik, 1992). Jain et al. (1981) found that weeds 1 KVK Bhiwani, CCS HAU. 2 RRS Bhatinda, PAU Ludhiana, Punjab.

5 2 Singh, Punia, Singh and Brar removed 5 to 6 times N, 5 to 12 times P and 2 to 5 times K than cotton crop at the early stages and diminished cotton yields by 54 to 85%. Nakhte et al., (1992) observed only 7 kg/ha yield under weedy conditions compared to 889 kg/ha seed cotton yield when herbicide was integrated by hoeing in Maharashtra under rainfed conditions. Herbicides offers a choice for effective weed control; however, there are no efficient post emergence herbicides under Indian conditions to take care of major weeds infesting the long duration of cotton. Trianthema portulacastrum and Cyperus species that emerge with the crop pose a major threat for its establishment. Application of pre-plant incorporation (PPI) or preemergence (PRE) herbicides has been found effective (Rethinam and Sankaran, 1976; Chander el al., 1997; Singh and Malik, 1993) in controlling weeds and recording good seed cotton yield, but herbicides alone were less effective and required integration with hand/ mechanical weeding. Some work has been done on planting time/methods or formulation for crop safety and increased herbicide efficacy (Rethinam and Sankaran, 1976; Singh and Malik, 1993; Chauhan, 2007; Dong et al., 2008; Ali et al., 2010), but there is paucity of work on herbicide application methods, particularly for PPI/PRE herbicides. A fine seed bed preparation and proper application is required for optimizing the efficiency of PPI or PRE herbicides. Keeping this in view, field trials were conducted at farmer s fields in different locations of Haryana and Punjab to assess the impact of different methods of application of PPI and PRE herbicides and their soil incorporation on weed control efficiency, crop growth and yield of cotton. MATERIALS AND METHODS Field trials were conducted at 22 locations spread over Haryana and Punjab states in the cotton growing belt of North-West India during the kharif season of Herbicides were sprayed from 27 April to 26 May 2008 in plot sizes of 0.25 to 3 acres at different locations without replications. All agronomical practices for cotton were done by the farmers, except herbicide applications. Trifluralin was sprayed at 1.0 kg/ha using backpack sprayer fitted with three flat fan nozzle boom, two backpack sprayer fitted with nine flat fan nozzle boom, tractor sprayer fitted with 21 flat fan nozzle boom and local tractor sprayer fitted with 16 hollow cone nozzles, delivering 500 l water/ha. Soon after spraying trifluralin was incorporated with either rotavator, disc harrow or cultivator followed by planker. Pendimethalin 0.75 and 1.5 kg/ha PRE was sprayed with backpack sprayer (flat fan nozzle) or local tractor sprayer with 16 hollow cone nozzles (spray direction parallel to ground) delivering 500 l water volume/ha at four locations at farmers and University research fields, respectively for comparisons. One manual or mechanical weeding was done after 50 days of sowing to control later weed flushes. The trials fields were spread over large swath of area covering four districts of Haryana and two of Punjab where cotton is a major crop. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for soil types, ph, conductivity and nutrient status (Table 1). Though most of the fields (90%) had Bt cotton; comparisons were made for soil type and Bt and not Bt cotton on different growth parameters and weed control efficiency. Observations were recorded for visual control of infested weed species (periodically), plant height, number of branches per plant, boll number per plant (mean of five plants) and weight of five bolls per plant. Data was subjected to ANOVA using locations as replications and presented in figures. Since pendimethalin was used at two rates and only four locations, no comparison data is presented with trifluralin. Weed flora RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Weed flora was highly diverse due to different soil types and locations. The major infesting weeds are presented in Table 2 as per locations. Trianthema portulacastrum was the most dominant weed infesting all the fields. Dactyloctenium aegyptium in grasses, Cyperus rotundus among sedges and Digera arvensis among broadleaf weeds were other major weeds infesting in the trial fields across the soil types. Many weed species were not visible at 45 DAS (Eragrostis tenella, Portulaca sp., Dinebra retroflexa, Echinochloa sp., Leptochloa chinensis etc.), but become dominant towards the crop maturity when T. portulacastrum was matured. Effect of spraying methods on trifluralin efficacy Trifluralin provided more than 75% control of weeds over untreated plots (Fig. 1). Weed control efficiency was significantly less when trifluralin was

6 Haryana Journal of Agronomy 3 Table 1. Details of locations and soil characteristics of trial fields S. Village Farmer s name District State Soil type ph Salt conc. Organic P K (ds/m) carbon (%) (kg/ha) (kg/ha) 1. Siwada Hawa Singh Bhiwani Haryana Loamy sand Badwa Jagdish Sihag Bhiwani Haryana Sand Pur Raja Sansanwal Bhiwani Haryana Loamy sand Bighad Jaspal Singh Gill Fatehabad Haryana Loamy sand Dhand Vinod Bhukar Fatehabad Haryana Sand Adampur Pawan Kumar Fatehabad Haryana Sand Ludas Jasbir Singh Hisar Haryana Loamy sand Muklan Sube Singh Hisar Haryana Sand CCSHAU Hisar Agronomy department Hisar Haryana Loamy sand CCSHAU Hisar Plant Breeding department Hisar Haryana Loamy sand Panjwana Parveen Kumar Sirsa Haryana Loamy sand CCS HAU RRS, Sirsa University Sirsa Haryana Loamy sand Panjwana Tarshem Singh Sirsa Haryana Sand Panjwana Diwan Singh Sirsa Haryana Loamy sand Sallarpur Ashok Mehta Sirsa Haryana Sand Mad Daddu Vippin Kumar Sirsa Haryana Loamy sand Sahuwala Baljinder Singh Sirsa Haryana Sand Ghudde Hardev Singh Bhatinda Punjab Loamy sand Bajek Balbir Singh Bhatinda Punjab Sand Kothe Dashmesh Nagar Gursevak Singh Muktsar Punjab Sand Chak Middu Singh Wallah Jagrup Singh Muktsar Punjab Loamy sand Chhatiana Malkiat Singh Muktsar Punjab Loamy Sand

7 4 Singh, Punia, Singh and Brar Table 2. Major weeds infesting trial fields in weedy plots at different locations Locations Weed Species (in order of dominance) Siwada Trianthema portulacastrum, Digera arvensis, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Convolvulus arvensis, Cyperus rotundus Badwa T. portulacastrum, Tribulus terrestris, Corchorus sp., D. arvensis, C. rotundus, D. aegyptium, Cleome viscosa, Phyllanthus niruri, Portulaca oleracea, Eragrostis tenella, Amaranthus viridis Pur T. portulacastrum, D. aegyptium, C. arvensis, C. rotundus, E. colona, A. viridis, T. terrestris, C. viscosa, E. tenella, Celsosia argentea, Commelina diffusa, Vernonia cinerea, P. niruri, Leucas aspera Bighad T. portulacastrum, C. rotundus, Ipomoea pestigridis, Physalis minima, Corchorus sp., D. arvensis, E. tenella, Digitaria sp. Dhand T. portulacastrum, D. aegyptium, T. terrestris, C. rotundus, I. pestigridis, Ipomoea sp., E. tenella, P. minima, P. oleracea, Amaranthus gracizenb, Digitaria sp. Parthenium hysterophorus Adampur T. portulacastrum, I. pestigridis, D. aegyptium, C. rotundus, Chenopodium album, Ipomoea sp., P. minima Ludas T. portulacastrum, Amaranthus hybridus, D. arvensis, C. rotundus, I. pestigridis, T. terrestris, Digitaria sp., C. viscosa, Portulaca sp., C. viscosa Muklan D. arvensis, T. portulacastrum, C. rotundus, E. tenella CCSHAU Hisar T. portulacastrum, C. rotundus, E. colona, D. aegyptium, P. minima, T. terrestris CCSHAU Hisar C. rotundus,t. portulacastrum, T. terrestris, D. aegyptium, P. niruri, P. minima Panjwana T. portulacastrum, D. aegyptium, D. arvensis, P. niruri HAU RRS, Sirsa T. portulacastrum, D. aegyptium, D. arvensis, C. rotundus, P. niruri, E. Colona, Corchorus estuans, E. tenella, Leptochloa chinensis, C. arvensis Panjwana T. portulacastrum, D. arvensis, C. rotundus, D. aegyptium, E. tenella Panjwana T. portulacastrum, C. rotundus, D. arvensis, D. aegyptium, E. colona, C. arvensis, Corchorus sp. Sallarpur T. portulacastrum, C. rotundus, D. aegyptium, D. arvensis Mad Daddu T. portulacastrum, D. arvensis, T. terrestris, Citrullus colocynthis, E. tenella, L. chinensis, Echinochloa glabrescens, Dinebra retroflexa, Digitaria sp., C. arvensis, P. hysterophorus, P. minima Sahuwala T. portulacastrum, D. aegyptium, C. rotundus, Portulaca sp, D. arvensis, Digitaria sp., P. niruri, A. viridis, P. hysterophorus Ghudde D. arvensis, T. portulacastrum, D. aegyptium, Corchorus tridens, Portulaca sp, T. terrestris, C. rotundus and Cucumis sp., E. colona, D. retroflexa, L. chinensis, I. pestigridis, Digitaria sp. Bajek T. portulacastrum, C. rotundus Kothe Dashmesh Nagar T. portulacastrum, C. rotundus, C. arvensis, E. colona, T. terrestris, P. niruri, D. aegyptium, E. tenella Chak Middu Singh Wallah T. portulacastrum, D. arvensis, P. niruri, Ipomoea sp., Corchorus sp., Cucumis sp., P. hysterophorus, D. aegyptium, E. colona, E. tenella, Digitaria sp., Portulaca sp., P. minima Chhatiana T. portulacastrum, E. colona, D. aegyptium, C. rotundus, P. minima, Portulaca sp., D. arvensis, D. retroflexa, L. chinensis

8 Haryana Journal of Agronomy 5 Fig. 1. Effect of spraying methods on percent weed control in cotton 45 DAS. Fig. 2. Effect of trifluralin incorporation methods on cotton boll weight and weed control.

9 6 Singh, Punia, Singh and Brar sprayed with local tractor sprayer fitted with hollow cone nozzles compared with other methods using flat fan nozzles. The efficacy of backpack sprayer fitted with three nozzle boom, though was statistically similar to nine nozzle boom attached to two backpack sprayers and tractor sprayer with 21 nozzle boom; maximum weed control efficacy was observed with tractor sprayers as there were no missed areas between two runs due wide coverage area of nozzle swath. Poor efficacy of local tractor sprayer may be due to hollow cone nozzles and their spray directions as this kind of machine is used mostly for insecticides or fungicides, though water volume was same in all the spraying methods. Since this machine was locally devised and cheaper than a standard tractor mounted spray pump; farmers hire this for PRE spray of pendimethalin in cotton due to lower rent and easy availability. Efficacy of trifluralin (PPI) was 5-15% better than pendimethalin (PRE) though none was effective against D. arvensis, Convolvulus arvensis, C. rotundus and Ipomoea species (data not presented). Pendimethalin provided 60 to 85% control at 1.0 and 1.5 kg/ha, respectively, but efficacy was lower than trifluralin. Effect of incorporation methods on trifluralin efficacy Visual observations recorded 45 DAS revealed that incorporation of trifluralin by rotavator was most effective against T. portulacastrum and other weed species when compared to disc harrow or cultivator (Fig 2). Though trifluralin provided good control of many infested weeds compared to weedy check; the differences among incorporation methods were more glaring in the fields where T. portulacastrum was most dominant weed. Effect of trifluralin incorporation methods on growth and yield of cotton Plant height was significantly affected by trifluralin incorporation methods when recorded 150 DAS (Fig. 3). Mean plant height of 153 cm was recorded with rotavator incorporation of trifluralin which was similar to disc harrow incorporation, but 7-12% more than cultivator incorporation and no herbicide application, respectively. Similarly, main branches were significantly 155 Pl. ht. (cm) a a b c Rotavator Disc Cultivator Check Fig. 3. Effect of incorporation methods on plant height of cotton 150 DAS.

10 Haryana Journal of Agronomy 7 Fig. 4. Effect of trifluralin incorporation methods on main branches of cotton 150 DAS. Fig. 5. Effect of trifluralin incorporation methods on bolls of cotton at maturity.

11 8 Singh, Punia, Singh and Brar higher when trifluralin was incorporated by rotavator compared to other methods or control (Fig. 4). Not only plant growth of cotton, but the bolls number were also significantly affected by trifluralin incorporation methods. Number of bolls/plant were significantly higher when trifluralin was incorporated by rotavator compared to cultivator incorporation or unsprayed plots (Fig. 5). Incorporation of trifluralin by disc harrow resulted in lower bolls/plant than rotavator, though differences were not statistically significant. Highest cotton boll weight was recorded with rotavator incorporation of trifluralin compared to weedy check. Boll weight decreased with trifluralin incorporation by disc harrow and cultivator compared to rotavator incorporation; the differences; however, were statistically non-significant (Fig. 2). Effect of soil type and cultivars on trifluralin efficacy and plant growth There were no differences on the efficacy of trifluralin in two soil types (sandy and sandy loam) with respect to weed control, or boll weight; but number of bolls were significantly more in sandy loam soil compared to sandy soil when recorded at maturity (Fig. 6). Trifluralin had statistically similar weed control irrespective of Bt or non-bt cotton (Fig. 7). Similarly there were no differences in the number of main branches and boll weight, though Bt cotton had significantly higher plant height and total number of bolls compared to no-bt cotton. Early season weed control helps in better crop establishment and reduced yield losses. Thind et al. (1995) reported that weed competition in initial 30 days caused 10.5% yield reduction compared to 57% reduction under Punjab conditions when weeds competed with crop during the whole crop growth period. Keeping the field free from weeds from 30 days onward increased seed cotton yield from 18.9 to q/ha. Similarly Balyan et. al. (1983) found initial days most critical for cotton:weed competition. Muthusankaranarayanan et al., (1988) reported that rainfed cotton in Tamilnadu suffered 30-75% losses when weeds were not removed during the critical period of days after planting. In the present study trifluralin was found to provide good control of weeds thus providing an advantage to crop for first days. There is limited choice of PPI or PRE herbicides for cotton which are safe to crop and effective in controlling weeds. Rethinam and Sankaran, (1976) reported initial crop setback with alachlor PRE, though plants recouped latter on. Fig. 6. Effect of soil type on trifluralin efficacy against weeds and growth parameters of cotton.

12 Haryana Journal of Agronomy 9 Fig. 7. Effect of cotton variety on trifluralin efficacy and yield parameters. Trifluralin PPI was quite safe to cotton in the present study and more effective than pendimethalin PRE against several weeds; though season long weed control can only be achieved when integrated with a follow up herbicide or mechanical weeding. Singh and Malik (1993) found pendimethalin 1.5 kg/ha PRE or its lower dose of 1.25 kg/ha plus one hoeing 45 DAS for effective control of weeds and similar cotton yield to weed free plots. One dry hoeing 45 DAS followed by pendimethalin 1.0 kg/ha, though provided good control of weeds till 90 DAS, but suffered in yield due to competition from weeds for initial 45 days. Under Punjab condition, Brar et al., (1995) reported that pendimethalin 1.5 kg/ha PRE followed by one hoeing 30 DAS was effective against annual broad leaf and grassy weeds viz., T. portulacastrum and E. indica in cotton. Chander el al., (1997) found that increased fertilizer dose (125% of recommended) and integration of chemical (pendimethalin PRE or trifluralin PPI) plus mechanical weeding for highest seed cotton yield. Since trifluralin is sensitive to UV rays, its proper incorporation is required to achieve satisfactory weed control. Rotavator not only provides proper mixing of trifluralin in the soil, but also pulverize soil for better emergence and growth of cotton plants. Lower efficacy with other methods (disc harrow or cultivator) could be due to improper soil mixing of trifluralin. In the absence of rotavator, disc harrow can be substituted to incorporate trifluralin. Similarly, a uniform spray using flat fan nozzles ensures optimum soil coverage and enhanced herbicide efficacy compared to hollow cone nozzles. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are thankful to Mr. Yossi Goldschmidt, Eli Dagan and Ramesh Chandoliya, Makhteshim-Agan, Israel for providing free tractor sprayer, trifluralin and rotavator to the university and logistic support for spraying herbicides and recording observations for field trials. REFERENCES Ali, Mushtaq, Liaqat Ali, Muhammad Sattar and M. A. Ali Response of seed cotton yield to various plant populations and planting methods. J. Agric. Res. 48 :

13 10 Singh, Punia, Singh and Brar Balyan, R. S., V. M. Bhan and R. K. Malik The effect of weed removal at different times on the yield of cotton. Cotton. Dev. 13 : Chander, Subhash, R. S. Panwar, S. K. Katyal and Mahendra Singh Growth pattern of American cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and weeds as affected by herbicides and fertility levels. Ind. J. Weed Sci. 29 : Chauhan, S. K Seeding technique under saline water irrigation for cotton- wheat rotation. Bhartiya Krishi Anusandhan Patrika. 22 : Dong, H., W. Li, W. Tang and D. Zhang Furrow seeding with plastic mulching increases stand establishment and lint yield of cotton in saline field. Agron. J. 100 : Jain, S. C., B.G. Iyer, H. C. Jain and N. K. Jain Nutrient competition studies in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under different weed control systems in Madhya Pradesh. Ind. J. Weed Sci. 13 : Mani, V. S Nutrient drain by weed growth in crop fields. Fert. News. 20 : Muthusankaranarayanan A., V. Chellamuthu, A. Rajamannar and J. Sunder Singh Rajapandian Effect of herbicides on the weed control in rainfed cotton- blackgram intercroppiog system. Ind. J. Weed Sci. 20 : Nakhate, C. S., O. K. Shelke and R. H. Bhosle Economics of weed control in rainfed cotton. Ind J. Weed Sci. 24 : Rethinam, P. and S. Sankaran Studies on the selectivity of alachlor formulations in cotton (Gosvpium hirsutum L.) under two systems of planting and adsorbent seed treatment. Ind. J. Weed Sci. 8 : Shanmugam, K. and P. C. Meenakshisundaram Effect of herbicides with manual weeding in cotton and their residual effect on sorghum. Pesticides. 11 : Singh, Vireshwar, S. S. Verma and M. S. Kairon Effect of weed control and nitrogen on weed growth and yield of cotton. Ind. J. Agron. 33 : Singh, Samunder and R. K. Malik Weed management and fertiliser utilisation. Fert. News. 37 : Singh, Samunder and R. K. Malik Influence of date of planting and weed control method on the yield of cotton. Haryana agric. Univ. J. Res. 23 : Thind, R. J. S., A. S. Brar and L S. Brar Weed Interference in American Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Ind. J. Weed Sci. 27 :

14 Haryana J. Agron. 28 (1 & 2) : (2012) Growth and yield of baby corn (Zea mays L.) as influenced by sowing dates and weed management practices under temperate conditions R. KOTRU 1, LAL SINGH 2, PARMEET SINGH 3, SAMEERA QAYOOM 4, K. N. SINGH 5 AND LATEEF AHMAD Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Received on : Accepted on : ABSTRACT Baby corn having high remunerative value, provides opportunities for crop diversification, value addition and revenue regeneration. So there is need to standardize the agro techniques for its cultivation. In this context, an experiment was conducted during pre-kharif season on silty clay loam soil at Shalimar campus, under temperate conditions of Kashmir to evaluate the weed dynamics and productivity of baby corn under varying sowing dates and weed management practices. The experiment was laid out in split plot design replicated thrice with three dates of sowing viz, 30 April, 15 May and 30 May in main plots and four weed management practices i.e. unweeded check, hand weeding, atrazine application and straw mulching in sub-plots. April 30 and May 15 sowing enhanced baby corn yield by 17 and 14.5% in 2008 and 15.6 and 11.5% in 2009, respectively. Atrazine at par with hand weeding recorded 29.2 and 33 % higher yield over weedy check, which registered higher benefit cost ratio, among all the weed management practices. Number of cobs appears to be the most sensitive parameter for baby corn yield as was severally influenced by weed competition. Key words : Baby corn, relative economics, sowing dates, weed management INTRODUCTION Living standard of people and shift in food item from non-vegetarian to vegetarian in the world evolved several vegetables, one such vegetable is called baby corn. The small sized fresh green cobs of maize, when picked within 36 hours of silk emergence, popularly known as baby corn has gained popularity in agriculture production, because of its high remunerative value. Baby corn production provides opportunities for crop diversification, value addition and revenue generation and is becoming increasingly popular among farmers. Baby corn is a short duration crop. There is need to standardize the agro techniques for its cultivation, so that it can be introduced for cultivation by farming community of Kashmir. Maize being exhaustive crop requires high quantity of nutrients for its growth and development. Most of the nutrients provided to the crop are lost due to severe competition posed by weeds for a prolonged period of growth under temperate conditions. Control of diverse flora is one of the important aspects for realizing higher productivity of baby corn. Hand weeding, though effective method of weed control is cost escalative, time consuming and often limited, due to scarcity of labour, so use of herbicides provides better establishment and competitive ability. Mulching is another option for effective weed control as it has smothering effect on the growth of weeds. Moreover the weather changes often results in affecting the growth and yield of maize crop especially in the spring season (April- June) under temperate conditions of Kashmir. Keeping this in view an experiment was laid at Research farm Shalimar campus to evaluate right sowing time for baby corn and its effective weed management practice to overcome the menace of composite weed flora. MATERIALS AND METHODS A field experiment was conducted under temperate valley conditions (Fig. 1) at Shalimar campus 1 Senior Scientist, Division of Agronomy, SKUAST of Kashmir. 2,3,4 Assistant Professors Agronomy, SKUAST of Kashmir. 5 Professor and Head, Division of Agronomy, SKUAST of Kashmir. Corresponding author : Dr. Lal Singh, Asstt. Professor, Division of Agronomy, SKUAST-K, Shalimar, Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir)

15 12 Kotru, Singh, Singh, Qayoom, Singh and Ahmad Fig. 1. Meteorological observations recorded during both years of crop season during kharif seasons of 2008 and The experimental soil was silty clay loam, ph 6.8 with organic carbon 0.85%. Three dates of sowing i.e. 30 April (D 1 ), 15 May (D 2 ) and 30 May (D 3 ) were main plot treatments and four methods of weed management i. e. unweeded check (W 1 ), hand weeding 20 DAS and 55 DAS (W 2 ), atrazine 1.0 kg a.i/ha (W 3 ) and mulching with paddy straw (W 4 ) were taken as sub-plot treatments. There were 12 treatments combinations replicated three times in a split plot design. Maize was sown at a spacing of 60 x 20 cm with recommended fertilizer package of 90 : 60 : 30 kg/ha of N : P 2 O 5 : K 2 O, respectively. Half of the nitrogen and full dose of P 2 O 5 and K 2 O were applied as basal and other half of N was applied in two equal splits at 20 DAS (first weeding) and 55 DAS (earthing up), respectively. Baby corn was harvested just after emergence of silk. Atrazine was sprayed a day after sowing in earmarked plots with knap sack sprayer using spray volume of 600 l/ha. The mulching was done with paddy straw just after the emergence of young seedling was completed. However sowing ridges were kept free from mulched materials. Weed population was recorded from an area of 0.5 m 2 quadrate from three places in each plot and classified

16 Haryana Journal of Agronomy 13 into different species at 55 DAS. Data on weed count and weed dry weight were subjected to square root transformations to normalize their distribution. Correlation and regression analysis were calculated by using SPSS statistical software. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Effect of Sowing Dates The growth of maize measured in terms of plant height and baby corn number varied significantly under different dates of sowing (Table 1) during both the years. Significant increase in baby corn number at sowing dates of 30 April and 15 May enhanced baby corn yield by 17% and 14.6% in 2008 and by 15.6% and 11.5% in 2009, respectively over the sowing date of 30 May (Table-2). With advanced dates of sowing, the temperature correlated efficiently with the silking stage, thus producing higher baby corn number. Singh et al. (2009) also recorded higher baby corn number and corn yield with advanced date of sowing. Significant and consistent increase in green fodder yield (Table 2) was also recorded with advanced date of sowing i. e. 30 th April to 15 th May to 30 th May, during both the years. This resulted into higher N uptake by fodder at earlier dates of sowing. The variations in the yield of maize at different dates are attributed to the efficient use of moisture by the crop with earlier dates of sowing where the moisture remained conserved within the soil profile during winter months that resulted in producing more number of cobs as compared to late sowing date. Panday (2004) also recorded highest green fodder yield and baby corn number/plant, when the crop was sown in the month of April and first week of May. Similar trend was also observed by Khan et al. (2002). Effect of Weed management Practices During the crop growth period, 4 weed species were found to be predominant that included, Cyperus rotundus L.; 41.2% and 42.7%; Digitaria sanguinalis 21.5% and 20%, Echinichloa colona 9.2% and 9.4%, Partulaca oleracea 16.6% and 13.4% and others (Veronica spp, Ageratum conyzoides, Salanum nigrum and Amaranthus spp) 11.8% and 15%, during 2008 and 2009, respectively (Table 3). Different dates of sowing have significant influence on all the weed species except E. colona and others. All the weed management practices influenced significantly the weed flora under study. The three weed management practices viz., hand weeding, atrazine application and straw mulching reduced population and dry weight of major weed species (C. rotundus, D. sanguinalis, E. colona and Partulaca oleracea) significantly as compared to unweeded check. However, hand weeding and atrazin application proved more effective as compared to straw mulching, because in mulched plots the emerged weeds which were not Table 1. Growth and yield attributes of baby corn as influenced by sowing dates and weed management practices Treatment Plant height Baby corn Baby corn Dry matter Baby corn Baby corn (cm) length (cm) diameter (mm) accumulation (kg/ha) weight (g) no/m Sowing dates D 1 : 30 th April D 2 : 15 th May D 3 : 30 May S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) NS NS NS NS Weed management practices W 1 : Unweeded check W 2 : Handweeding W 3 : 1 kg/ha W 4 : Straw mulching S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) NS NS Not Significant.

17 14 Kotru, Singh, Singh, Qayoom, Singh and Ahmad Table 2. Yield, N, Uptake and relative economics of baby corn as influenced by sowing dates and weed management practices Treatment Baby corn Green fodder N uptake Total gross Net income B : C yield (kg/ha) yield (kg/ha) by stover (kg/ha) income (Rs/ha) ratio on dry weight basis (Rs/ha) Sowing dates D 1 : 30 th April , 24, 400 1,08,450 94,274 78, D 2 : 15 th May ,20,500 1,04,250 90,374 74, D 3 : 30 May ,04,650 93,800 74,524 63, S. Em ± LSD (P=0.05) Weed management practices W 1 : Unweeded check ,150 80,800 69,859 53, W 2 : Handweeding ,29,400 1,18,850 97,609 87, W 3 : kg/ha ,31,900 1,18,450 1,03,767 90, W 4 : Straw mulching ,07,200 91,050 73,909 57, S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) controlled grew vigorously due to less competition posed from other weeds and competed with crop for growth under congenial environment. Atrazine application and hand weeding significantly improved growth characters, yield attributes (viz., plant height, corn length, corn diameter, corn weight, corn number) baby corn yield and stover yield as compared to straw mulching and unweeded check (Table 1&2). However, all the three weed control methods i.e. atrazin application, hand weeding and mulching registered an increase in baby corn yield by 29.2, 26.9 and 10.1%, respectively during 2008 and 33.0, 33.3 and 12.0% during Khan et al. (2012) also recorded maximum yield of maize with the application of atrazin. The interaction effects (Table 4 & 5), between dates of sowing and weed management practices revealed that, weed dry weight and consequently N removal by weeds were significantly higher in early sowing as compared to late sowing. This is due to the fact that good vigour during initial development stages expressed via growth characters and biomass formation could be the factors that significantly affect the weed infestation level, although level is not permanent and varies depending on the environmental conditions. Atrazine application significantly reduced weed biomass and N-removal by weeds as compared to mulching and unweeded check, but was at par with hand weeding. Superiority of atrazine in maize was also reported by Singh et al. (2006). Further atrazine and hand weeded plots registered significantly lower weed dry weight and N removal irrespective of dates of sowing. These findings are in conformity with the findings of Suresh and Reddy (2010). Correlation and Regression Baby corn yield was defined by growth and yield attributes and strongly correlated with each other (Table 7). The statistical model for predicting baby corn yield is {Y= Cob Length Cob diameter Plant height and Cob Number}. Coefficient of determination revealed that these parameters contribute 95 % of baby corn yield. Further partial regression coefficient revealed that these parameters contribute 21.25, 5.39, and 57.50%, respectively. Thus number of cobs appears to be most important yield attributing character and is severely affected when crop is sown late and without proper weed management practices. The adverse influence of weed competition on cob number and ultimately baby corn yield was also reported by Hussein et al. (2008). Nitrogen Dynamics The interaction effect on N uptake by bay corn (Table 6 & Fig. 2) revealed that uptake increased significantly when the crop was sown on 30 April and

18 Haryana Journal of Agronomy 15 Table 3. Weed population as influenced by different dates of sowing and weed management practices Treatments Cyperus Digitaria Echinochloa Portulaca Others Total rotundus sanguinalis colona oleracea Sowing dates D 1 : 30 th April 12.9 (17) 12.1 (150) 10.4 (109) 9.55 (92) 4.97 (28) 4.72 (24) 7.39 (59) 7.31 (58) 7.54 (57) 7.87 (63) 20.3 (423) 19.4 (385) D 2 : 15 th May 13.5 (185) 12.1 (150) 10.3 (109) 9.28 (87) 5.27 (30) 7.82 (25) 7.51 (61) 6.34 (41) 8.07 (65) 8.88 (79) 21 (450) 19.4 (380) D 3 : 30 May 11.5 (136) 10.9 (121) 9.5 (108) 7.89 (62) 4.66 (24) 5.01 (28) 5.98 (40) 6.16 (38) 8.09 (66) 7.56 (59) 18.7 (355) 16.9 (293) S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) NS 0.93 NS NS 0.80 NS NS NS Weed management practices W 1 : Unweeded check 15.5 (241) (213) 11.1 (126) 9.9 (100) 7.31 (54) 6.82 (47) 9.79 (967) 8.04 (67) 8.32 (69) 8.59 (75) (584) 22.2 (497) W 2 : Handweeding 10.5 (112) 9.81 (96) 9.3 (87) 8.59 (74) 3.55 (12) 3.26 (10) 5.23 (29) 6.17 (39) 7.32 (54) 7.68 (60) (292) 16.7 (279) W 3 : 1 kg/ha 11.2 (127) (106) 9.7 (93) 8.33 (71) 3.19 (9.8) 3.63 (13) 5.16 (27) 5.69 (32) 7.26 (53) 7.47 (57) (309) 16.6 (278) W 4 : Straw mulching 13.2 (175) (147) 10.3 (106) 8.81 (77) 5.82 (34) 5.68 (32) 7.65 (60) 6.50 (44) 8.7 (75) 8.67 (76) (451) 18.7 (355) S. Em± () LSD (P=0.05) NS NS Not Significant. *Data is subjected to square root transformation (SQRT of x+1) *Values within the parenthesis are original values

19 16 Kotru, Singh, Singh, Qayoom, Singh and Ahmad Table 4. Weed dry weight (g/m) as influenced by sowing dates and weed management practices Treatments D 1 D 2 D 3 Mean D 1 D 2 D 3 Mean W W W W Mean Date of sowing Weed control Date of Sowing Weed control S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) Inertraction W within D D within W W within D D within W S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) Transformed values =(X+1). Table 5. N removal by weeds (kg/ha) as influenced by sowing dates and weed management practices Treatments D 1 D 2 D 3 Mean D 1 D 2 D 3 Mean W W W W Mean Date of sowing Weed control Date of Sowing Weed control S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) Inertraction W within D D within W W within D D within W S. Em± LSD (P=0.05) Transformed values =(X+1). Table 6. Influence of date of sowing and weed management on N-uptake by baby corn (kg/ha) Treatments D 1 D 2 D 3 Mean D 1 D 2 D 3 Mean W W W W Mean Date of sowing Weed control Date of Sowing Weed control S. Em ± LSD (P=0.05) Interaction W with in D D with in W W with in D D with in W S. Em ± LSD (P=0.05) Transformed values =(X+1).

20 Haryana Journal of Agronomy 17 Table 7. correlation among growth, yield attributes and yield of baby corn Baby corn yield (kg/ha) Cob length (cm Cob diameter (cm) Con number/m 2 Plant height (cm) Baby corn yield (kg/ha) ** 0.761** 0.960** 0.889** Cob length (cm) 0.773** * 0.746** 0.689* Cob dimater (cm) 0.761** 0.626* ** 0.604* Con number/m ** 0.711** 0.711** ** Plant height (cm) 0.889** 0.604* 0.604* 0.859** 1.00 **correlation is significant at the 0.01 level. * correlation is significant at the 0.05 level. Fig. 2. Relation of weed population, weed dry weight and Weed N removal on baby corn yield. (Average of two years). 15 May in comparison to late sowing. Similarly N uptake enhanced significantly in plants where atrazine was applied, which was at par with handweeding. Higher N uptake by baby corn in atrazine applied and hand weeded plots was achieved because weed growth was checked effectively. Due to less competition transportation of photosynthates to the sink portion was in abundance as compared to unweeded plots. Irrespective of sowing dates, N uptake by baby corn increased where N removal by weeds was comparatively low. In early dates of sowing N uptake by crop and N removal by weeds was higher irrespective of weed management practices. Thus competition becomes more severe with early dates of sowing. The worst scenario of crop-weed competition for N was noticed in unweeded control. This might be due to more favourable conditions for both crop and weeds under temperate Kashmir. Bahar et al. (2009) also reported similar findings for maize in temperate Kashmir Regression analyses (Fig 3), further revealed that N removal by weeds reduced ability of the crop to uptake N very drastically. Thus proper weed management practice is imperative to boost N uptake which in turn increases yield of baby corn. Fig. 3. N uptake relation between weeds and crop Relative Economics The highest net returns (Rs 94, 274 and Rs 78, 324) and benefit cost ratio (3.13 and 2.60) for the year 2008 and 2009, respectively, were recorded under 30 April sowing followed by 15 May sowing. Similarly higher net returns and benefit cost ratio were obtained with the application of 1.0 kg/ha as compared

21 18 Kotru, Singh, Singh, Qayoom, Singh and Ahmad to other weed control methods. It was mainly due to low cost required for the purchase of atrazine, reducing competition by weeds and less labour involvement simultaneously. Similar findings were also reported by Pawar (2009). Thus it was concluded that baby corn productivity can be maximized by sowing the crop between 30 April and 15 May and appling of atrazine as pre emergence 1.0 kg/ha under temperate valley conditions. REFERENCES Bahar, F. A., Singh, K. N., and Malik, M. A Integrated weed management in maize under different nitrogen levels. Indian J. Agri. Sci. 10 : Hussein, F., Abouziena, J. M., Netwaly, E. L. and Desoki, E. R Effect of plant spacing and weed control treatments on maize yield and associated weeds in sandy soils. American-Eurosian J. Agri. and Environ. Sci. 4 : Khan, N., Khan, N. W., Khan, S. A., Khan, M. A. and Marawat, K. B Combined effect of nitrogen fertilizers and herbicides upon maize production in Peshawar. The J.Ani. and Pl. Sci. 22 : Khan, N., Qasim, M., Ahmad, F., Naz, F. and Khan, R Effect of sowing dates on yield of maize under agroclimatic conditions of Kangan Valley. Asian J. Plant Sci. 1 : Pandey, A. K Production potential and economics of different sowing dates for babycorn (Zea mays) production under mid-hill conditions of Northwestern Himalayas. Ind. J. Agron. 49 : Pawar, M. K Economics of weed control measures in winter maize (Zea Mays). J. Agron. 45 : Singh, M., Kumar, P., Sairam, C. V. and Kumar, A Evaluation of different weed management practices in rainfed maize in farmers field. Pakistan J. Weed Sci. Res. 15 : Singh, P., Singh, P. and Dawson, J Correlation and Regression Studies of winter maize and weed interactions. Ind. J. Weed Sci. 39 : Suresh, G., Reddy, B. N Effect of weed control practices and weed dry matter production potential and nutrient uptake of sunflower (Helianthus annus) in vertisols. Ind. J. Agri. Sci. 80 :

22 Haryana J. Agron. 28 (1 & 2) : (2012) Legume intercropping and in- situ green manuring as well as FYM application in maize along with inorganic fertilizers in wheat for sustainability of maizewheat system under rainfed conditions VIKAS GUPTA, ANIL KUMAR*, B. C. SHARMA*, MAHENDER SINGH AND JAI KUMAR AICRP for Dryland Agriculture, DLRSS, Rakh Dhiansar, Bari Brahmana, Samba, J&K *Division of Agronomy, SKUAST-J, Main Campus, Chatha, Jammu Received on : Accepted on : ABSTRACT A three year field experiment consisting of seven treatment combinations applied during kharif season and 3 levels of fertilizer doses was conducted during to at Research Farm of SKUAST-J, Chatha to study the effect of FYM application and legume intercropping, green manuring- GM and grain crop-gc in maize crop during kharif and their residual effects on succeeding wheat crop in rabi season. The treatments consists of pure maize (without FYM), pure maize 5t/ha), maize+cowpea (GM), maize+cowpea (GC), maize+soybean (GM), maize+soybean (GC) and maize+sun hemp (GM). The growth parameters, grain yield and dry matter production of maize were found significantly superior when 5t/ha was applied in pure maize crop. However, yield attributes of maize and wheat crop were found maximum in the same treatment combination but couldn t reach the significant level. The grain yield and dry matter production of wheat was significantly superior in treatment where 5t/ ha was applied in previous maize crop in main plots. In sub-plots the yield trend increased with increase in RFD level i.e. from 50 to 150%, respectively. The maximum net returns, net return/rupee invested and maize equivalent yield was maximum in treatment maize+soybean (GC) followed by the treatment maize+cowpea (GC) which was mainly due to the extra income through the yield of intercrops. The NPK balance improved in all the intercropping treatments and FYM applied plots; however, the highest buildup of soil N (213.7 kg/ha), P (18.5 kg/ha) and F (122.3 kg/ha) was recorded in treatment pure 5 t/ha. The intercropping treatments and 3 levels of RFD had a non-significant effect on ph, E. C. and O. C. content; moreover, organic carbon increased by 9.6% in FYM applied plots and it further decreased by 3.2% in pure maize-wheat rotation plots. Key words : Maize, intercropping, soybean, cowpea, sunhemp, FYM INTRODUCTION To make the maize-wheat system more sustainable, association of kharif legumes with maize not only helps in utilization of nitrogen being fixed by legumes in the current growing season, but also helps in residual build up of soil (Sharma and Choubey, 1991). On the other hand, these crops add to the substance of small and marginal farmers. The symbolic association between leguminous plants and root nodule bacteria has been estimated to fix approximately 80% of the biologically fixed nitrogen in agricultural areas, with the remainder being contributed by adversity of other symbolic system, non-symbolic associations between nitrogen fixing bacteria and roots, and free microorganisms (Vance, 1997). The legume crops like dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata), Sunhemp (Crotolaria juncea), cowpea (Vigna sinesis), etc. when grown as green manure crops not only fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil but also provide considerable amount of organic matter when incorporated into the soil (Heichel and Barner, 1984). Rye, Maize and Wheat produced higher yield after green manured crops than after summer fallow (Reddy et al., 1986). Intercropping is a potential agronomics system for maximizing crop production in rainfed conditions over space and time in subsistance farming situation besides effective utilization of natural resources (Willey, 1979). Inclusion of legumes as green manuring crops in the cropping system contributes as much as kg N ha -1 to the succeeding crop as well as benefiting the present crop (Sharma et al., 2006). Use of green manuring of legumes in crop rotation