Studies on mulching and weed management in unpuddled transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2017 and 2018 at Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three mulching treatments, viz. no mulching, cover crop of Sesbania followed by green mulch and rice residue mulch (5 t/ ha) in main plots and five weed management treatments, viz. weedy, two hand weeding, post-emergence application of bispyribac Na 25 g/ ha, penoxsulam 30 g/ ha and tank mix bispyribac Na 25 g/ ha + pyrazosulfuron 20 g/ ha at 18 DAT in sub plots replicated thrice. The results revealed that cover crop of Sesbania followed by surface mulch followed by green mulch and rice straw mulch recorded significantly higher growth attributes, yield attributes and production efficiency as compared to no mulching. Among weed management treatments post-emergence application of penoxsulam 30 g/ha resulted in significantly higher growth and yield attributes as compared to weedy and increased production efficiency followed by spraying of bispyribac 25 g/ha+ pyrazosulfuron 20 g/ha and post-emergence spraying of bispyribac 25 g/ha.