Evaluation of Atrazine and Mulch on Weed Dynamics of Maize (Zea mays L.) and Its Economics

Weed infestation poses a significant challenge to maize (Zea mays L.) production under the high-rainfall, rainfed conditions of Nagaland, affecting crop productivity and economic returns. Although herbicides and mulching are used for weed management, information on their combined effectiveness under the region's hill conditions remains limited. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of atrazine combined with different mulching materials on weed dynamics, maize yield and economic returns. The experiment was conducted at the experimental research farm of the School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, during the kharif season of 2024 to evaluate the effects of atrazine and different mulching materials on weed dynamics and the economics of maize (Zea mays L.). The results showed that atrazine integrated with plastic mulch recorded the lowest weed density and the highest weed-control efficiency (92.33% at 20 DAS), while hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS achieved the greatest reduction in weeds at later stages (76.09% WCE at 60 DAS). Among organic mulches, atrazine + wood chips and atrazine + banana pseudostem maintained comparatively low weed density and dry matter, whereas atrazine + bamboo mulch was the least effective. Grain yield was highest under hand weeding (4,829.89 kg/ha), closely followed by atrazine + plastic mulch (4,791.66 kg/ha). Among organic mulches, atrazine + wood chips mulch produced the highest yield (3,658.33 kg/ha) and the highest benefit: cost ratio (2.23). The lowest yield occurred in the weedy check (1,904.28 kg/ha). Therefore, integrating atrazine with plastic mulch or wood chips mulch provides effective, sustained weed suppression and enhances maize productivity and profitability under the high-rainfall hill conditions of Nagaland.