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IMPACT OF TILLAGE, PLANT POPULATION AND MULCHES ON WEED
MANAGEMENT AND GRAIN YIELD OF MAIZE
BAKHTIAR GUL, KHAN BAHADAR MARWAT, MUHAMMAD SAEED, ZAHID HUSSAIN AND
HAIDAR ALI
Abstract: Field
experiments were conducted during 2006 and 2007 in Peshawar, using open
pollinated maize variety “Azam” in RCB design with split-split plot
arrangements having three factors viz., tillage, maize populations and
mulches. The tillage levels (zero and conventional) were assigned to
main plots, populations (90000, 60000 and 30000 plants ha-1)
to sub-plots and the mulches (weeds mulch, black plastic mulch, white
plastic mulch and mungbean as living mulch), a hand weeding and a weedy
check were allotted to sub-sub plots. Data were recorded on fresh weed
biomass (kg ha-1), grains cob-1, 1000-grain weight
(g) and grain yield (kg ha-1). Grain yield was 2271 kg ha-1
in zero-tillage compared to 2429 kg ha-1 in conventional
tillage. Increasing crop population increased the yield i.e. 2055, 2412
and 2483 kg ha-1 in 30000, 60000, and 90000 plants
ha-1, respectively. However, grains cob-1 and
1000-grain weight of individual plants were affected negatively with
increase in crop population. Higher grain yield (2863 kg) was recorded
in hand weeding and statistically at par with black plastic mulch (2813
kg), followed by weeds mulch (2460 kg), white plastic (2398 kg) and
living mulch (2145 kg ha-1), respectively as compared to
weedy check (1422 kg ha-1). Zero tillage resulted in higher
fresh weed biomass (183 kg ha-1) than in conventional tillage
(165 kg ha-1). Lower weed biomass (158 kg) was recorded in
90000 crop plants ha-1 as compared to 60000 (168 kg) and
30000 (196 kg ha-1), respectively. Less fresh weed biomass
was observed in hand weeding (112 kg) which was at par with black
plastic mulch (120 kg), followed by weeds mulch (164 kg), white plastic
mulch (191 kg) and living mulch (195 kg) as compared to check (260 kg ha-1).
In light of two years study, conventional tillage with 90000 plants ha-1
along with hand weeding or black plastic mulch proved to be the best in
terms of weed management and grain yield.
Department of Weed Science, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University
Peshawar, Pakistan
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