Weed management and conservation tillage for improving productivity, nutrient uptake and profitability of wheat in soybean (Glycine max)-wheat (Triticumaestivum) cropping system

Abstract

<span>The effect of tillage, crop establishment and weed management was studied on the<br /><span>performance of wheat grown after soybean at New Delhi, India during 2010-11 to 2011-12.<br /><span>Sixteen treatment combinations involved 2 tillage, viz. conventional tillage (CT) and zero tillage<br /><span>(ZT), two crop establishment practices, viz. raised-bed and flat-bed and four weed management,<br /><span>viz. isoproturon + hand weeding, mesosulfuron+ iodosulfuron, soybean stover + isoproturon<br /><span>and unweeded control. Population density and dry weight of weeds was significantly<br /><span>more under raised-bed than flat-bed, particularly under ZT condition, while under flat-bed, the<br /><span>differences between CT and ZT were on par. Weed control efficiency was the highest<br /><span>(90.7-91.4%) under isoproturon + hand weeding and significantly higher than other treatments<br /><span>(86.5-90.2%). Yield losses under unweeded control were 23.1-26.1%. Grain yield of wheat<br /><span>under ZT-flat-bed (4.46-4.73 ton ha<span>-1<span>) was equal to that under CT-flat-bed (4.44-4.79 ton ha<span>-1<span>),<br /><span>which was comparatively more than raised-bed conditions. All weed control practices were on<br /><span>par and equally effective improving the yield of grain (19.2-27.5%) as well as straw (14.0%)<br /><span>compared with unweeded control. Nutrient uptake by crop decreased linearly with increase in<br /><span>nutrient removal by weeds. The highest net benefit: cost ratio was under ZT-flat-bed and<br /><span>mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron (3.04) followed by soybean stover mulch + isoproturon (2.84).<br /><span>It was concluded that wheat can be grown underzero-till condition with post-emergence<br /><span>herbicide application for realizing higher productivity and profitability in the Indo-Gangentci<br /><span>plains of India.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></span></span></span></span>