Weed management in maize field by chemical, mechanical and cultural methods

To investigate the effect of integrated weed management on yield and some physiological indices of maize under competition with weeds, this experiment was conducted in 2009 at the Agricultural Research Center of Islamic Azad University, Arak Branch, Iran. The experiment was conducted in split-plot in the form of a randomized complete block design with four replications. Treatments included maize planting density (70000, 80000 and 90000 plants/ha) in the main plots and weed management techniques (weed free and weed infested controls, one time cultivation, 1 and 2 l/ha nicosulfuron) in the sub plots. Results indicated no significant differences between 1 and 2 l/ha nicosulfuron at high maize planting density. Therefore, the best maize planting density for reducing the dose of nicosulfuron was 90000 plants/ha. Based on the results obtained in this experiment, in organic agricultural systems, herbicide application could be removed from weed management programme in maize field by cultivating once at 4-6 leaf stage and planting maize at high density (90000 plants/ha). On the other hand, increasing maize planting density significantly increased the leaf area index, relative growth rate and crop growth rate.