Effect of tillage and herbicides on growth, weed control and energetics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) grown in sequence with sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

An experiment was conducted during 2019–20 on sandy clay-loam soil at the Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, to evaluate the effect of tillage and herbicides on growth, weed control, economics and energetics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Treatments included 3 tillage, viz. zero-tillage (ZT), ZT along with sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] residue (ZT + R) and conventional tillage (CT), in main plot; and 4 weed-management practices, viz. pendimethalin alone, pendimethalin followed by (fib) clodinafop-propargyl + Na-acifluorfen, pendimethalin fb hand-weeding and unweeded check, in subplots. Chickpea growth and development was higher under ZT + R, which led to higher grain yield, economics, and energetics. Net returns under ZT + R were 13.5% more than ZT but 36.7% more than CT. Chickpea grown under ZT and ZT + R with pendimethalin fb clodinafop + Na-acifluorfen was 32.7–43.5% more energy-efficient than the same treatment under CT. This study indicated that chickpea grown after sorghum under ZT + R with pendimethalin fb clodinafop + Na-acifluorfen was economical and energy-efficient apart from providing higher grain yield in Bundelkhand region.