Effect of sulphur and integrated weed management on productivity and quality of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) and succeeding fodder pearl millet.

摘要

A field experiment was conducted in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, during 2001-03 on loamy sand soils low in available N and S and medium in available P and K. The main plot treatments comprised 4 levels of S (control, 20, 40 and 60 kg/ha) and 7 weed control measures (weedy control), one hand weeding (HW) at 25 days after sowing (DAS), 2 HW at 25 and 45 DAS, fluchloralin at 1.0 kg/ha, fluchloralin at 1.0 kg/ha as pre-planting incorporation (PPI) with HW at 45 DAS, isoproturon at 0.5 kg/ha as pre-emergence and isoproturon at 0.5 kg/ha as PPI with HW at 45 DAS. The increasing rates of S did not influence the weed density but markedly increased the dry matter of weeds. HW twice showed the maximum control of weeds, which was significantly superior to the other treatments. The successive rates of S nutrition up to 60 kg/ha markedly enhanced the dry matter, siliquae, seeds per siliqua and seed yield per plant and in both years. However, plant height and 1000-seed weight showed a significant response up to 40 kg S/ha and remained at par with higher levels of S nutrition. The yield of succeeding fodder pear millet was the highest (370.0 q/ha) with 60 kg S/ha weed control measures and brought about measurable improvement in growth and yield attributes, and yield of mustard compared with the weedy control. The two HW being at par with the herbicides coupled with HW increased the pooled mean seed yield of mustard significantly by 46.3% over the weedy control. The application of 60 kg S/ha recorded significantly the highest (Rs 21 077/ha) pooled mean net returns and benefit:cost (B:C) ratio (2.51) of mustard over lower levels. Two HW being at par with both the herbicides coupled with HW recorded the highest net returns (Rs 20 050/ha), whereas the B:C ratio was significantly higher under isoproturon at 0.50 kg/ha.