Nutrient uptake as influenced by weed management in winter maize + potato intercropping system

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi 2009–10 and 2010–11 at research farm of Sher-e-Kashmir UniversityofAgricultureScienceand Technology, Jammu with four intercropping treatments, viz. sole maize, sole potato, maize + potato (additive Series) and maize + potato (replacement series) in main plots and six methods of weed control practices, viz. weedy check, weed free, alachlor 1.5 kg/ha pre-emergence, atrazine 0.5 kg/ha pre-emergence, alachlor 2.0 kg/ha early post-emergence and atrazine 0.75 kg/ha post-emergence in sub plots to assess the productivity and profitability of winter maize + potato intercropping system. These treatments were evaluated under split plot design with three replications. Results revealed that sole stands of winter maize and potato removed highest amount of N, P and K which were followed by additive series and replacement series whereas among the weed management practices, highest amount of N, P and K was removed by weed free treatment fb atrazine PE 0.75 kg/ha and alachlor 1.5 kg/ha while the lowest N, P and K was removed by alachlor 2.0 kg/ha early post emergence. Among the different intercropping treatments, weeds removed significantly highest N, P and K from sole crops followed by additive series and replacement series. Among weed management practices, the uptake of N, P and K in weeds was found to be significantly less in all the weed management practices as compared to weedy check treatment.