Influence of Integrated Weed and Nutrient Management on Productivity and Profitability of Summer Maize (Zea mays) Under Rainfed Condition of Assam, India

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Instructional-cum-Research (ICR) Farm, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat during the summer season of the year 2020 to evaluate the effects of integrated weed and nutrient management on weed growth, yield attributes and yield of summer maize. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design and replicated thrice. The treatment consisted of three nutrient management practice viz., 100% RDF (N1); N1+ 25 kg ZnSO4/ha (N2) and  75 % RDN and 100 % P2O5 and K2O through chemical fertilizer (CF) + 25 % N through vermicompost + 25 kg ZnSO4/ha (N3) and four weed management practices viz., weedy check (WM1), live mulching with cowpea (WM2), WM2 + hand weeding at 25 and 45 DAS (WM3) and Atrazine 500g+Pendimethalin 500g/ha followed by hand weeding at 45 DAS (WM4). Experimental findings revealed that the different INM practices significantly affected the growth parameters, yield and yield attributes of summer maize. The maximum values of growth parameters were recorded in the treatment involving application of 75 % RDN and 100 % P2O5 and K2O through chemical fertilizer + 25 % N through vermicompost + 25 kg ZnSO4/ha (N3). Similarly, yield and yield attributing characters viz., weight of cob with and without husk, length of cob without husk, number of rows per cobs, grain per row, grain per cob, 1000 grain weight, shelling percentage, grain (23.76 q/ha) and stover (74.55 q/ha) yield. The growth, yield and yield attributing parameters of maize were significantly affected by the different weed management practices. Pre emergence application of Atrazine 500g+Pendimethalin 500g/ha followed by hand weeding at 45 DAS (WM4) resulted the highest value of yield. The highest grain (21.77 q/ha) and stover (71.12 q/ha) yield were recorded in the treatment WM4.The interaction effects of different nutrient and weed management practices were found not significant. The economic study revealed that the highest gross return (₹.1, 03816.00/ha), net return (₹.67, 956.00) and B: C (1.90) were recorded from the treatment combination N3WM4.