Effect of weed management and fertilizer levels on growth and yield of rainfed cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under south Gujarat condition

A field experiment conducted during 2020-21 and 2021-22 at College farm, College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Bharuch, Gujarat to study the effect of weed management and fertilizer levels on growth and yield of rainfed cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under south Gujarat condition. Almost all the growth and yield attributes, yields, nutrient content and their uptake as well as available nutrients (N, P2O5 and K2O) in soil after harvest of cotton significantly improved due to different treatments. The results revealed that application of two hand weeding and interculturing at 30 and 60 DAS or Pendimethalin 1.00 kg/ha PE fb Hand weeding and Interculturing at 60 DAS and application of 100% RDF (120-40-0 kg NPK/ha) found better for effective weed control and remunerative seed cotton yield. Significantly higher seed cotton weight per plant (124.57, 122.77 and 123.67 g/plant), stalk yield (2629, 2683 and 2656 kg/ha) and higher seed cotton yield (1923, 1982 and 1961 kg/ha) were recorded under W1 (Two hand weeding and interculturing at 30 and 60 DAS). It was statistically at par with the treatment having application of Pendimethalin 1.00 kg/ha PE fb hand weeding and interculturing at 60 DAS (W2) during both the years and in pooled data.