Rational Nutritional Requirement of Potato Through Weed Management in Prevailing Maize-Potato-Sunflower Cropping System of Central Plain Zone

A field experiment was conducted for two consecutive years on sandy loam soil to control the nutgrass infestation and thereby increasing the nutrient economy in potato. Twenty treatment combinations comprising two levels of glyphosate, i.e., 1.2 and 1.6 kg/ha with and without blending of ammonium sulphate along with additional control and four levels of fertility (0, 33, 67 and 100% RDF) in R.B.D. with three replications were tested. Application of glyphosate @ 1.6 kg/ha mixted with 2% ammonium sulphate reduced aerial shoots and tubers of nutgrass by 64 and 69%, respectively. Management of nutgrass has led to appreciable improvement in potato yield by 22–24% as a result of reduction in crop-weed competition. The results of reduced crop-weed competition led to sizeable saving of nutrients removed by the weeds. With effective management of weeds in potato, the application of 67% of recommended dose of fertilizers recorded comparable tuber yield of potato to that obtained under 100% fertilization in absence of weed management.