EFFECT OF INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF PIGEONPEA (CAJANUS CAJAN (L.) MILLSP.)

The field experiment was conducted during kharif (rainy) season of 2013 at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Lam, Guntur, India in randomized block design with three replications to study the effect of integrated weed management practices on growth and yield of pigeonpea. The weed free treatment significantly decreased the weed density, dry weight of weeds and also increased in weed control efficiency compared with weedy check. Integration of one hand weeding/intercultivation at 50 DAS with pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg a.i./ha PE or imazathapyr @ 100 g a.i./ha POE or quizalofop ethyl @100 a.i./ha POE or pendimethalin@0.75 kg a.i./ha PE and imazathapyr @ 100 g a.i./ha POE proved effective in reducing total weed density and dry weights of weeds and also increased in weed control efficiency compared with weedy check. The maximum values of growth parameters, yield components and grain yield (2647 kg/ha) were recorded under weed free situation which was closely followed by IWM treatments viz., integration of pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg a.i./ha PE and imazathapyr @ 100 g a.i./ha POE or pendimethalin@ 0.75 kg a.i./ha PE or imazathapyr @ 100 g a.i./ha POE or quizalofop ethyl @ 100 g a.i./ha POE or pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg a.i./ha PE and quizalofop ethyl @ 100 g a.i./ha POE with one hand weeding/intercultivation at 50 DAS. Beneficial effect due to above treatments on growth characters resulted in enhanced grain yields of pigeonpea.