Effect of mulching and herbicides on weeds, yield and economics of greengram (Vigna radiata L.) grown under eight-year old agrihorti system

Abstract

A field experiment with the objectives to understand the effect of mulching and herbicides on weed infestation and greengram yield involving two factors viz., mulching (no mulching, dust mulching and paddy straw mulching) and herbicidal treatments (weedy check, hand weeding at 20 and 40 days after sowing, pendimethalin pre-emergence @1000 g/ha, imazethapyr post-emergence @ 100 g/ha, and pendimethalin pre-emergence @ 1000 g/ha followed by imazethapyr post-emergence @ 100 g/ha) was undertaken in splitplot design with three replications at South Campus, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Results revealed that dust mulching and sequential application of pendimethalin followed by imazethapyr recorded lower weed density, weed dry weight, nutrients depletion by weed and maximum crop yield as well as net returns over rest of the mulching and herbicidal treatments. Therefore, it is suggested that the combination of mulching and herbicides may be used for effective weed management and optimal yield of greengram under agri-horti system.