Department of Agronomy, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar (Tamil Nadu), India.
The different organic manures viz., farm yard manure, goat manure, sugarcane pressmud, neem cake, pungam and glyricidia green leaf manure influenced the weed seed bank in the soil as well as the weed growth and crop yield of maize. Application of farm yard manure increased the seed bank of Cyperus rotundus by 23.1%, Echinochloa sp. by 14.2% and Trianthema portulacastrum by 28% compared to control. Whereas cane pressmud reduced the seed bank of these weeds by 32.4, 27.1 and 57%, respectively. The weed biomass recorded in maize was also significantly higher with farm yard manure compared to untreated control, whereas the same was reduced by pressmud by 34.3%. The grain yield of maize was also influenced by the organic manures.
