Abstract

Field experiments were conducted during the Kharif seasons of 2010 and 2011 at GKVK, UAS, Bangalore, Karnataka, India to study the influence of three tillage practices viz., conventional tillage (3 ploughings + 3 inter cultivations), reduced tillage (2 ploughings + 2 inter cultivations) and minimum tillage (1 ploughing + 1 inter cultivation) and three nutrient management practices viz., 100% N through Urea, 100% N through integrated supply (50% N through urea+ 25% N through FYM+ 25% N through Glyricidia) and 100% N through organic source (50% N through FYM+ 50% N through Glyricidia) on weed dynamics and yield of fingermillet (Eleusine coracana L.) under rainfed pigeonpea-fingermillet system in Alfisols. The results showed that conventional tillage reduced the infestation of Borreria articularis, Cynodon dactylon and Cyperus rotundus compared to other tillage practices. However, nutrient management practices did not influence weeds significantly. Among tillage practices conventional tillage recorded significantly higher fingermillet yield (3030 kg ha^-1) compared to other tillage practices and among nutrient management practices integrated supply of N recorded higher yield of 2666 kg ha^-1 compared to other nutrient management practices. More weed seeds were distributed in upper 10 cm soil depth in minimum tillage where as in conventional tillage weed seed distribution was more or less uniform in the soil profile studied.

Key words: Tillage, nutrient management, glyricidia, weed dynamics, grain yield, weed seed bank.