Optimizing land configuration and weed management practices for enhanced productivity of pigeon pea

A field investigation was conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, to evaluate the effects of various land configurations and weed management practices on the productivity of pigeon pea. The study aimed to identify the most effective land configuration and weed management strategy to optimize pigeon pea growth and yield. The experiment comprised 15 treatment combinations arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. It included 3 land configurations (L1- flatbed, L2- ridges and furrows, L3- broad bed furrow (BBF)]. 5 weed management practices were tested: [W1- weedy check, W2- two-hand weeding at 20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS), W3- pre-emergence pendimethalin at 0.75 kg a.i. ha-1 followed by hand weeding at 30 DAS, W4- pre-emergence pendimethalin at 0.75 kg a.i. ha-1 followed by early post-emergence imazethapyr at 60 g a.i. ha-1, W5- pendimethalin at 0.75 kg a.i. ha-1 followed by power weeder at 30 DAS followed by post-emergence quizalofop ethyl at 50 g a.i. ha-1). The results indicated that, in comparison to ridge and furrow (L2) and flatbed (L1) layouts, the BBF (L3) configuration significantly reduced weed biomass and density. This configuration achieved superior Weed Control Efficiency (WCE) and Weed Control Index (WCI), resulting in enhanced crop growth and yield. Among the weed management practices, W5 (pendimethalin at 0.75 kg a.i. ha?¹ followed by power weeder at 30 DAS and post-emergence quizalofop ethyl at 50 g a.i. ha?¹) proved the most effective. It significantly reduced weed population and biomass while promoting robust crop growth. In conclusion, pigeon pea grown under the BBF (L3) configuration, combined with the integrated weed management (IWM) strategy of W5, recorded the highest crop growth and yield. This combination effectively improves pigeon pea productivity by integrating appropriate land configurations with efficient weed management practices.