The moisture regimes and herbicides efficacy in improving productivity and profitability of spring-planted maize

A field experiment was conducted at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India during spring 2022 and 2023 to evaluate the impact of moisture regime and herbicide efficacy in maize (Zea mays L.). The experiment followed a split-plot design, with the main plots divided into two irrigation levels, viz. IW/CPE 0.8 and IW/CPE 1.2. Within each main plot, eight weed management treatments were tested, including atrazine 1000 g/ha, tembotrione 120 g/ha, topramezone 25.2 g/ha, atrazine 1000 g/ha fb hand-weeding at 35 DAS, atrazine 1000 g/ha fb tembotrione 120 g/ha, atrazine 1000 g/ha fb topramezone 25.2 g/ha, weed-free, and weedy check. Each treatment was replicated thrice in subplots. Interaction between irrigation levels and weed control practices revealed that spring maize irrigated at 1.2 IW: CPE in combinations with atrazine 1000 g/ha fb topramezone 25.2 g/ha produced significantly higher grain yield than other treatments. The economic analysis revealed that irrigation at 1.2 IW:CPE ratio recorded significantly higher net returns of ₹ 66207/ha and B:C (2.47). Among weed management treatments, atrazine 1000 g/hafb topramezone 25.2 g/ha attained a maximum net income of ₹ 71661/ha with B:C (2.61) and next best was atrazine 1000 g/hafb tembotrione 120 g/ha which fetched next highest net income (₹ 65767/ha) and B:C (2.49).