Effect of weed management practices on yield attributes and yield of cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2024 at the Agronomy Farm, School of Agriculture, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, to evaluate the effect of various weed management practices on yield attributes and yield of cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.). The study was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with eight weed management treatments replicated thrice. The treatments included manual weeding, pre-and post-emergence herbicides, and integrated approaches. Results revealed that weed management practices significantly influenced yield attributes such as number of pods per plant, seeds per pod, and test weight. The maximum number of pods per plant (51.34), seeds per pod (8.10), and test weight (34.20 g) were recorded under the weed-free treatment, closely followed by integrated treatments involving pendimethalin and imazethapyr + imazamox. Seed yield was significantly higher in one hand weeding at 20 DAS (1465 kg/ha), weed-free (1461 kg/ha), and pendimethalin fb imazethapyr + imazamox (1448 kg/ha) compared to the weedy check (595 kg/ha). Similarly, straw and biological yields were also maximized under effective weed management regimes. Although harvest index was not significantly influenced, a relatively balanced allocation of biomass was observed across treatments. The study concludes that integrated weed management approaches are highly effective in improving the productivity of cluster bean by minimizing crop-weed competition and optimizing resource utilization.