Journal ID : AMA-17-03-2026-13814
[This article belongs to Volume - 57, Issue - 03]
Total View : 424

Title : Effect of Residual Weed Biomass and Nitrogen Levels on Growth and physiology of Toria in Rice-Based Cropping System

Abstract :

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of residual weed biomass incorporation and nitrogen levels on growth and physiological parameters of toria in a rice-based cropping system. The experiment consisted of two weed biomass treatments (with incorporation, W₁; without incorporation, W₀) and varying nitrogen levels (N₀ to N₁₆₀). Results revealed that plant height, dry matter accumulation, and leaf area index (LAI) were significantly influenced by both weed biomass incorporation and nitrogen levels at all growth stages, whereas their interaction (W × N) remained non-significant. Incorporation of weed biomass (W₁) consistently recorded higher growth attributes compared to W₀. Similarly, increasing nitrogen levels significantly enhanced these parameters, with maximum values observed under N₁₆₀. Physiological parameters, including Crop Growth Rate (CGR) and Relative Growth Rate (RGR), were also significantly improved with weed biomass incorporation and higher nitrogen levels, while their interaction effect remained non-significant. The highest CGR and RGR were recorded under W₁ and N₁₆₀ treatments. In contrast, Net Assimilation Rate (NAR) was not significantly affected by weed biomass incorporation but showed significant variation with nitrogen levels. NAR increased with higher nitrogen at early growth stages but declined at later stages due to increased canopy development and mutual shading effects. Overall, the study indicated that incorporation of weed biomass and higher nitrogen application improved growth and physiological efficiency of toria independently. The results suggest that integrating organic biomass with optimal nitrogen fertilization enhances crop performance by improving soil conditions, nutrient availability, and photosynthetic capacity in rice-based cropping systems.

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