Effect of Different Mulches Techniques on Weed Infestation in Aerobic Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

2 Abstract: A field experiment to investigate the effect of different mulches on weed infestation in aerobic rice was conducted at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, during the growing year 2010. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications using net plot size of 3.0 m × 7.0 m. The experiment was comprised of seven treatments viz., weedy/controlled (no mulch), weed free (no mulch), wheat straw mulch, sugarcane trash mulch, maize residues mulch, polythene sheet mulch and biological mulch (Sesbania intercropped for 40 days). Crop mulches were used each at the rate of 5 t ha while black polyethylene sheet was used as plastic mulch. Rice variety Super Basmati was used as a 1 medium of trial. Densities of total weeds were reduced significantly by application of mulches and dry weight of weeds (broad and narrow leaf) was also significantly affected by the use of mulches. Different mulching techniques/material significantly improved the agronomic traits of aerobic rice over control. Plastic sheet mulching resulted in maximum paddy yield (4.18 t ha ) due to improvement in plant height (97.56 cm), number 1 of panicle (25.73 cm) and 1000-grain weight (18.43 g).