Evaluation of integrated weed management in sweet corn

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out during the Rabi season of 2023–24 at the College Farm, N. M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat to identify the effective and economical integrated weed management (IWM) option to manage weeds in sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) and improve sweet corn productivity under south Gujarat conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications and eight IWM treatments. The stale seed bed preparation followed by (fb) early post-emergence application (EPoE) of topramezone 25.2 g/ha 15–20 days after seeding (DAS) fb inter-culturing (IC) + hand weeding (HW) at 40 DAS recorded the lowest weed density and biomass; higher weed control efficiency; sweet corn yield and net returns. Pre-emergence application (PE) of pendimethalin 0.25 kg/ha + atrazine 0.50 kg/hafb IC + HW at 30 DAS and atrazine 1.0 kg/ha PE fb IC + HW at 30 DAS were found equally effective as stale seed bed preparation fb topramezone 25.2 g/ha 15–20 DAS fb IC + HW at 40 DAS, in managing weeds in sweet corn and improving sweet corn productivity economically.