Influence of Irrigation Schedules and Cow Urine Spray on Density and Dry Biomass of Cynodon dactylon

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the combined effect of irrigation scheduling and cow urine application on weed dynamics, focusing on the density and dry biomass of Cynodon dactylon in wheat during the rabi seasons of 2019–20 and 2020–21 at the research farm of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. A split-plot design was used with three main plots representing different irrigation schedules and seven subplots representing cow urine sprays at various growth stages of wheat and replicated thrice. Each treatment received a total of 4000 liters of cow urine per hectare, applied in equal doses at designated stages. The results revealed that neither irrigation schedules nor cow urine sprays significantly affected Cynodon dactylon density or dry biomass across different growth stages during both years of the study. At 90 DAS, the minimum density was recorded under I1 in the first year and I2 in the second year, while the maximum occurred under I1 in both years. The lowest dry biomass was observed under I3 in the first year and I2 in the second year, whereas the highest dry biomass occurred under I1 across both years. For cow urine treatments, the minimum Cynodon dactylon density was found in C6 during the first year and C2 during the second year, while the maximum density was recorded under C7 in both years. The study concluded that irrigation schedules and cow urine sprays at different wheat growth stages had no significant impact on the density or dry biomass of Cynodon dactylon in either year.