Effect of Crop Establishment and Weed Management Practices on Performance of Hybrid Rjce (Oryza Sativa L.) and Succeeding Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L. Emend Fiori Paol)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during 2007-08 and 2008-09 on sandy loamy soil at Crop Research Center of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology Meerut. The experiment aimed to evaluating the effect of crop establishment techniques and weed management practices on the productivity, economics, soil properties and weed dynamics of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) - wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend Fiori Paol) cropping system. In this investigation four rice establishment techniques viz; puddled transplanting, unpuddled transplanting, puddled drum seeding and direct sowing (line sowing) and six weed management practices viz; weedy, weed free, pendimethalin PE @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha, pendimethalin PE@ 1.0 kg a.i./ha +hand weeding at 30 DAS, pendimethalin PE@ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + almix PoE @ 4 g a.i./ha and pendimethalin PE @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + fenoxaprop-p-ethyl PoE @ 70 g a.i./ha were tested in split plot design with three replications. The study revealed that puddled transplanting followed by puddled drum seeding method proved superior over direct sowing in respect of low weed population, weed dry weight, weed index and higher weed control efficiency of rice. Puddled transplanted rice, being at par with puddled drum seeding recorded significantly highest growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of rice in terms of biological yield (146.3 and 149.2 q/ha) and grain yield (59.9 and 61.4 q/ha). In terms of protein content in rice grain and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content and uptake in grain and straw, puddled transplanted rice proved its superiority over unpuddled transplanting and direct line sowing. However, direct seeded rice recorded significantly highest grain yield (47.5 and 50.5 q/ha during 2007-08 and 2008-09, respectively) in subsequent wheat and caused favourable improvement in bulk density, pore space and available N in soil, while significantly highest available P and K in soil were registered under puddled transplanted rice. During both the years, puddled transplanted rice recorded the highest net returns of rice, while the highest B:C ratio of rice; net returns and B:C ratio of wheat and rice-wheat cropping system were recorded with direct seeding of rice. The result indicated that application of pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + hand weeding followed by pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + almix@ 4 g a.i./ha recorded the lowest weed population, weed dry matter, weed index and highest weed control efficiency in rice. Pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + hand weeding followed by pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + almix @ 4 g a.i./ha recorded significantly highest growth parameters, yield attributes, grain yield (59.8 and 62.5 q/ha), straw yield (83.4 and 85.6 q/ha), harvest index (0.42 and 0.43) and grain:straw ratio (0.73 and 0.75) of rice, which was significantly higher than weedy check and pendimethalin@ 1.0 kg a.i./ha alone. Similarly application ofpendimethalin@ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + hand weeding also established its superiority in protein content in rice grain and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content and uptake in grain and straw. It also registered higher available N, P and Kin soil. However in subsequent wheat, significantly highest grain yield (47.3 and 49.9 q/ha during each year, respectively) was recorded under pendimethalin@ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + almix@ 4 g a.i./ha over weedy check. The gross returns, net returns and B:C ratio of rice, wheat and rice-wheat cropping system were recorded highest with pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha + almix@ 4 g a.i./ha during both the years.