Influence of irrigation methods and herbicide application with UAV practices on growth, physiology and yield of rabi maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during rabi 2023-24 and 2024-25 to evaluate the influence of irrigation methods and weed management practices on the growth and yield performance of rabi maize. The study was laid out in a split-plot design with two irrigation methods surface ridge and furrow irrigation at 1.0 IW/CPE ratio and surface drip irrigation at 1.0 Epan (two-day interval) as main plots and six weed management practices including UAV-based herbicide applications at 20, 40 & 60 l ha-1, knapsack sprayer, weed-free and unweeded control as sub-plots. Results revealed that drip irrigation significantly enhanced plant height, SPAD values, dry matter accumulation and grain yield compared to furrow irrigation. Within weed management treatments, knapsack and UAV applied herbicides with spray fluid (40 or 60 l ha-1) achieved good crop performance on par with weed free treatment, while the unweeded control recorded the lowest values. A significant interaction was observed for grain yield with the combination of drip irrigation and weed-free treatment producing the highest yield. The findings underscore the potential of integrating drip irrigation with UAV-based herbicide application for improving productivity and resource use efficiency in rabi maize under semi-arid conditions.