EFFECT OF DIFFERENT WEED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF INDIAN MUSTARD (BRASSICA JUNCEA)

Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) is an economically significant oilseed crop cultivated widely in India with versatile applications in various industries. However, weed infestation poses a major challenge to successful mustard cultivation, leading to reduced crop productivity and growth. To address these challenges, farmers and researchers have employed various weed management practices encompassing cultural, mechanical, chemical, and biological approaches. Understanding the effectiveness of these weed control strategies is essential for optimizing mustard cultivation and enhancing overall crop productivity. In this study, an experiment was conducted at the Experimental Research Farm Rampur of Doon (P.G) College of Agriculture Science & Technology in Uttarakhand, India. The experiment followed a Randomized Block Design (R.B.D) with eight weed management treatments and three replications, resulting in 24 experimental plots. The treatments included weed check, hand weeding, and various herbicides (Pendimethalin, Oxyfluorfen, Isoproturon, Quizalofop, Oxadiaryzl, and Clodinoflop). Data on growth attributes (plant height and number of branches per plant) and yield attributes (number of siliqua per plant, siliqua length, number of seeds per siliqua, and 1000-seed weight) were collected at different growth stages. The results showed that hand weeding and Pendimethalin @ 1.25 kg/ha were effective in promoting plant growth and yield attributes, while Clodinoflop @ 0.75 kg/ha had adverse effects on growth and yield. In terms of yield, hand weeding resulted in the highest seed yield, Stover yield, and biological yield, while the weed check treatment exhibited the lowest values. Economically, hand weeding demonstrated the highest gross return, net return, and benefit-to-cost ratio, emphasizing its economic superiority. However, herbicidal treatments like Pendimethalin also showed competitive economic benefits.