Evaluation of weed management practices on weed dynamics and yield of maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the world's most adaptable and rapidly growing food crop. Weed infestation is a major issue in maize, particularly during the early stages of growth, so weed control is critical to reducing competition with the maize crop. Therefore, a field experiment was undertaken in farmer's field at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, during March- June 2021 to determine the impact of various weed management strategies on weed dynamics and yield of maize. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications and nine treatments viz., atrazine, topramezone, tembotrione, halo sulfuron methyl and hand weeding. According to findings, hand weeding twice at 15 and 30 DAS had the best weed control efficiency and highest grain yield (6.73 t/ha) but it was comparable to atrazine (P. E.) @ 1 kg a.i /ha on 3 DAS+Topramezone (PoE) @ 36.5 g a.i./ha on 18 DAS (6.63 t/ha) and atrazine (P. E.) @ 1 kg a.i./ha on 3 DAS+Tembotrione (PoE) @ 120 g a.i./ha on 18 DAS (6.55 t/ha). Based on the results of the experiments, we conclude that sequential application of pre- and post-emergence herbicides resulted in the highest weed control efficiency and grain yield, as hand weeding twice at 15 and 30 DAS is cumbersome and expensive.