IMPACT OF TILLAGE AND MULCHING PRACTICES ON WEED BIOMASS AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF MAIZE UNDER RAINFED CONDITION

A field experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of the University of Agriculture Peshawar during summer 2012 to check the impact of different tillage and mulching practices on maize yield under non irrigated conditions. Maize variety Azam was sown in the trial in a RCB design having two factors viz., tillage practices and mulching. The treatment combinations were cultivator 4 times + wheat straw, cultivator 4 times + berseem straw, cultivator 4 times + control, mouldboard plow followed by rotavator + wheat straw, mouldboard plow followed by rotavator + berseem straw, mouldboard plow followed by rotavator + control, cultivator twice + wheat straw, cultivator twice + berseem straw, and cultivator twice + control. The results showed that maximum dry weed biomass was recorded in no mulch treatment (19.217 g), maximum plant height (197.34 cm) and grains cob-1 (344.75) were recorded in wheat mulch treatments with mould board plowing followed by rotavator. Similarly, maximum thousand grain weight (146.27g) and grain yield (2252.9 kg ha^-1) were also noticed in plots practiced with wheat straw mulch and mould board plow followed by rotavator. In all respects, the combination of wheat straw mulch and moldboard plow followed by rotavator were proved fruitful in increasing plant height and maize yield under non-irrigated conditions.