Effect of irrigation, straw mulching and weed control on growth, water use efficiency and productivity of summer mungbean

The field experiment was conducted during summer season of 2008 on loamy sand soil. The experiment was comprised of eighteen treatment combinations with three irrigation treatments (two, three and four irrigations), two weed control methods (pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha as pre-emergence and unweeded) and three mulching treatments (no mulching, mulching at sowing and straw mulching at 25 days after sowing). Three irrigations recorded significantly higher grain yield (1430 kg/ha) than two irrigations (1138 kg/ha) but statistically at par with four irrigations (1465 kg/ha). Water use efficiency was also higher in three irrigations. Pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg/ha was found to be effective in controlling weeds and increasing the grain yield as well as water use efficiency. Mulching applied at 25 days after sowing recorded the higher grain yield (1430 kg/ha) than no mulch (1289 kg/ha) and mulching at sowing (1364 kg/ha).