Advances in Life Sciences 7(1), Print : ISSN 2278-3849, 53-56, 2018 Effect of Vermicompost and Weed Management Practices on Weeds and Yield of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) C. N. PATEL, S. N. SHAH, P. S PANCHAL AND J. C. SHROFF Department of Agronomy Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat email: [email protected] ABSTACT crop competition. Because of adsorbing effect of vermicompost to the herbicides, long lasting management To study the effect of vermicompost and weed management of weed can be obtained. Keeping this in view, the present practices on growth and seed yield of fenugreek a field investigation was conducted. experiment was conducted at Anand, Gujarat during rabi season of 2012-13. The experiment was laid out in factorial MATERIALS AND METHODS randomized block design along with three replications, The investigation was carried out during rabi season two vermicompost levels and eight weed management of the year 2012 at College Agronomy Farm, B. A. College treatments. Treatment combination of Vermicompost 2 t of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, ha-1 with hand weeding carried out at 20 and 40 DAS was Gujarat. The soil of the experimental field was loamy sand found effective in reducing density as well as dry biomass in texture, lower in available nitrogen (230.60 kg ha-1), medium of weeds and also gave significantly highest seed yield of in available phosphorus (55.30 kg ha-1) and higher in fenugreek. potassium (296.12 kg ha-1) with slightly alkaline (pH 7.7) in reaction. The sixteen treatment combinations consisted of two vermicompost treatments viz., V : 0 t ha-1 and V : 2.0 t Key words Vermicompost, Weed management, Weeds, 0 1 ha-1 and eight weed management treatments viz., W : Weedy Yield, Fenugreek 1 check,W2: Hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS, W 3: Pendimethalin @ 500 g a.i. ha-1 as PE, W : Pendimethalin @ Fenugreek (Trigaonella foenum-graecum L.) locally 4 500 g a.i. ha-1 as PE fb HW at 30 DAS, W : Oxyflourfen @ 80 known as ‘methi’ belonging to the family- Leguminosae 5 g a.i. ha-1 as PE, W : Oxyflourfen @ 80 g a.i. ha-1 as PE fb and Sub family-Papilionacea is widely used as spice and 6 HW at 30 DAS, W : Oxadiargyl @ 75 g a.i. ha-1 as PE and condiment to add flavor in various foods. Fenugreek leaves 7 W : Oxadiargyl @ 75 g a.i. ha-1 as PE fb HW at 30 DAS. The are eaten as vegetable in India, China and the Middle East 8 experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design for centuries. The practitioners of Ayurvedic and (FRBD) with three replications. Fenugreek variety Gujarat Traditional Chinese Medicine have used and documented Fenugreek-2 spaced 30 cm apart was sown in second week methi seeds for its many medicinal uses. The spice is of November with seed rate of 20 kg ha-1. Basal dose of 10 exported in its whole and powdered forms as well as in the kg ha-1 of N and 40 kg ha-1 P were given in form of urea and form of extracted oil which is extensively used as herbal DAP, respectively at the time of sowing. Remaining 10 kg supplements, therapeutic applications, culinary, tea, ha-1 N was given as top dressing after one month of sowing perfumery and dye. Fenugreek occupies an area of 94,760 in form of urea. Weed counts and dry weight of weeds at ha with the production of 127.85 lakh tones and average various stages were taken with the help of quadrate of 1 m productivity of 1349.19 kg ha-1 in India and it occupied an × 1 m size and per cent reduction in weed dry weight in area of 5244 ha with the production of 13.96 lakh tones and comparison to weedy check was expressed as weed average productivity of 2652 kg ha-1 in Gujarat state during management efficiency (WCE). Pre-emergence the year 2012-2013 (Anon., 2013). Vermicompost enhances herbicides were sprayed with Knapsack sprayer fitted with germination, plant growth, and crop yield, improves root flat fan nozzle using 500 liter of water ha-1. The other package growth and structure and enriches soil with micro-organisms of practices was adopted to raise the crop as per the (Anon., 2011). Weed is an important factor responsible for recommendations. During the experiment, effect of causing tremendous loss in fenugreek owing to initial slow vermicompost levels and weed management treatments on growth which leads to severe crop-weed-competition and weeds count at 20 and 40 DAS, dry weight of weeds at 20 reduce growth and yield by as high as 91.4% (Mali and and 40 DAS and at harvest, weed index, weed control Suwalka, 1987). Weeds offer maximum competition to efficiency, plant population at 15 DAS and at harvest, plant fenugreek for essentials of growth at its early stage of 25 height at 30, 60 DAS and at harvest, dry weight of root days. Weeds reduce the seed yield to the tune of 14.2 to nodule at 40 DAS, days of 50 % flowering, number of 69.0% depending upon their density and duration of branches plant-1 and number of pods plant-1 at harvest, competition (Kumar et al., 2005). Therefore, herbicides used number of seeds pod-1, test weight, seed and haulm yield alone or in combination with other techniques reduce weed 5 4 Advances in Life Sciences 7(1), 2018 Table 1. Effect of treatments on weed parameters and yield of fenugreek Weed count (no. m-2) at Weed count (no. m-2) at Total Seed Straw Harvest 20 DAS 40 DAS weed yield yield index WCE dry -1 -1 (%) (%) at WI (kg ha ) (kg ha ) Treatment weight arve- (%) Mon- Mono- (kg ha-1) Dicot Total Dicot Total st ocot cot at harvest Vermicompost (V) 4.62a 5.37 a 7.08 a 3.13 a a a 9.61a - - -1 3.53 4.62 b b b V0 : Vermicompost 0 t ha 1842.76 3638.89 33.42 (25.13) (36.04) (61.17) (10.33) (13.29) (23.63) (105.54) 4.45 a 5.18 a 6.83 a 3.15 a a a 9.06 a - - -1 3.25 4.44 a a a V1 : Vermicompost 2 t ha 2261.56 4138.32 35.00 (24.50) (32.04) (56.54) (10.21) (11.17) (21.38) (92.46) SEm± 0.11 0.18 0.13 0.09 0.11 0.98 0.21 - - 33.16 56.35 0.37 CD (P=0.05) NS NS NS NS NS NS NS - - Sign. Sign. Sign. Weed management (W) 9.31 a 10.52 a 14.06 a 4.48 a a a 15.84a 4.89 6.57 d e de W1: Weedy check - 58.81 1080.25 2248.61 32.66 (86.67) (111.50) (198.17) (19.83) (23.67) (43.50) (254.33) d c f c c d d W2: Hand weeding at 20 2.29 2.48 3.32 1.81 1.90 2.54 5.78 63.53 - 2623.10a 4419.44a 37.23a and 40 DAS (4.83) (6.33) (11.17) (3.17) (3.50) (6.67) (33.83) b b b b b b b W3: Pendimethalin @ 500 g 5.87 5.96 8.37 3.45 3.53 4.85 11.73 25.97 38.20 1620.99c 3529.16d 31.58e ha-1 as PE (34.17) (36.33) (70.50) (11.50) (12.17) (23.67) (137.83) W4: Pendimethalin @ 500 g c b c d b c 4.70 5.38 7.14 3.30 3.75 b 4.90 b 8.81 ha-1 as PE fb HW at 30 44.35 19.28 2117.28b 4064.58bc 34.10bcd (13.83) (24.33) DAS (21.83) (29.67) (51.50) (10.50) (78.83) - c b c b a a b W5: Oxyflourfen @ 80 g ha 4.43 6.01 7.53 3.82 4.75 6.02 10.91 31.16 26.17 1936.42b 3796.44cd 33.73bcd 1 as PE (19.50) (37.50) (57.00) (14.17) (22.33) (36.50) (119.33) - d c e c c c d W6: Oxyflourfen @ 80 g ha 2.80 3.30 4.30 2.32 2.55 3.32 6.52 58.82 5.04 2490.86a 4475.00a 35.84ab 1 as PE fb HW at 30 DAS (7.50) (11.00) (18.50) (5.00) (6.17) (11.17) (43.00) - c b d b b b c W7: Oxadiargyl @ 75 g ha 4.15 5.29 6.74 3.67 3.38 4.90 9.29 41.37 23.95 1994.75b 3926.30c 33.29cde 1 as PE (17.00) (29.33) (46.33) (13.17) (11.00) (24.17) (86.67) - 2.73 d 3.25 c 4.19 e 2.27 c c c 6. 17d W8: Oxadiargyl @ 75 g ha 2.36 3.15 a a abc 1 61.05 4.55 2503.66 4599.30 35.25 as PE fb HW at 30 DAS (7.00) (10.67) (17.67) (4.83) (5.17) (10.00) (38.17) SEm± 0.22 0.35 0.27 0.18 0.22 0.19 0.43 - - 66.31 116.45 0.74 CD (P=0.05) Sign. Sign. Sign. Sign. Sign. Sign. Sign. - - 197.38 336.35 2.13 V × W Interaction NS NS NS NS NS NS NS - - Sign.