Weed characteristics and green cob yield as influenced by crop geometry and nitrogen and iron nutrition in babycorn

Abstract

An experiment was carried out under sandy loam soil at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, during Rabi and summer seasons of 2016-17 and 2017-18 to study the effect of crop geometry, nitrogen and iron nutrition on weeds and yield of babycorn (Zea mays L.). Weed density and drymatter was significantly lower with 45 × 15cm spacing and application of 100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN). Higher babycorn yield was realized with the babycorn raised at 45 × 15cm while the nutrient treatments did not differ significantly with the babycorn yield. However interaction effect was found to be conspicuous wherein application of 125% RDN with FeSO4 foliar spray @ 1% at 30 and 45 DAS to the babycorn raised at 45 × 15 cm gave higher yields and was at par with the other fertilization levels of babycorn sown at the same crop geometry level.