Effect of Tillage and Weed Control Techniques on Energy Dynamics and Profitability of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) - Rice Cropping Sequence in Irrigated Ecosystem of C. G. Plains

A field study was conducted during rabi seasons of 2010-11 and 2011-12 at the Research cum Instructional Farm of Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh to evaluate the effect of various tillage and weed management techniques on energy dynamics and profitability of chickpea-rice cropping sequence in irrigated ecosystem of C.G. plains. The results indicate that plots were divided into main and sub plots (tillage and weed management practices). Three tillage practices viz., conventional tillage (T1), minimum tillage (T2) and zero tillage (T3) in main plot and nine weed management practices as pendimethalin @ 1000 g ha-1 PE (W1), imazethapyr @ 80 g ha-1 PE (W2), imazethapyr @ 90 g ha-1 PE (W3), imazethapyr @ 100 g ha-1 PE (W4) at 2 DAS, imazethapyr @ 70 g ha-1 POE (W5), imazethapyr @ 80 g ha-1 POE (W6), imazethapyr @ 90 g ha-1 POE (W7) at 20 DAS, one hand weeding at 20 DAS (W8) and weedy check (W9), in sub plots. Among the various tillage practices, maximum energy use efficiency 3.74 q MJ-1 × 10-3 ha-1 and energy productivity 160.34 kg MJ-1 ha-1 were obtained with conventional tillage (T1) followed by minimum tillage (T2) and zero tillage (T3) and among the different weed control methods, maximum energy use efficiency 5.46 q MJ-1 × 10-3 ha-1 and energy productivity 233.37 kg MJ-1 ha-1 were found with one hand weeding at 20 DAS (W8) followed by post-emergence application of imazethapyr @ 90 g ha-1 (W7) followed by imazethapyr @ 80 g ha-1 PoE (W6). The economic production of experiment in terms of net return was maximum under (T1) conventional tillage Rs.19824.21 ha-1 with B:C ratio 1.19 and (W8) one hand weeding at 20 DAS Rs.19171.44 ha-1 with B:C ratio 0.95 and this was followed by @ 90 g ha-1 imazethapyr, where net return Rs.19086.74 ha-1 and B:C ratio 1.04. The minimum net return and B:C ratio was observed under zero tillage (T3) and weedy check (W9).