Herbicide-free weed management in kharif maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) intercropping Systems: Advancing environmental sustainability, productivity, and economic efficiency

Maize (Zea mays L.), commonly known as the "queen of cereals," is extensively cultivated with wide spacing, facilitating intercropping with legumes to improve productivity and sustainability. Intercropping systems are advantageous for weed management, decreasing dependence on herbicides, and enhancing environmental sustainability. The current study sought to determine whether intercropping maize with legumes may reduce weeds, increase productivity, and improve economic efficiency without using herbicides. A field experiment was executed in the Kharif 2022 season at Lovely Professional University's agricultural research farm in Phagwara, Punjab, employing a randomized block design with seven treatments replicated three times. The treatments comprised sole maize, sole moong bean, sole soybean, and intercropping systems of maize with moong bean or soybean in 1:2 and 1:3 ratios. The intercropping system of maize and moong bean (1:3) overcame all treatments, achieving the maximum grain production (5882.0 kg ha-¹), harvest index (43.86%), cob diameter (8.5 cm), grains per cob (17.67), and straw yield (7519.0 kg ha-¹). This system demonstrated exceptional weed suppression, achieving the lowest total weed density (5.22 no. m-²), minimal weed biomass (6.4 g m-²), and the highest weed smothering efficacy (68.7%). Moreover, it attained the highest land equivalent ratio (1.99), maize equivalent yield (10.17 t ha-¹), and monetary advantage index (₹4800), emphasizing its economic and ecological advantages. This research illustrates the innovation and effectiveness of herbicide-free weed management in maize-legume intercropping systems. The maize and moong bean (1:3) system promotes environmental sustainability, increases production, and enhances economic efficiency, offering a sustainable alternative to monocropping in the Punjab region.