Effect of Cultivar and Seed Rate on Weed Infestation and Crop Performance of Wheat
An experiment was carried out at the Agronomy Field laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from November 2015 to March 2016 to study the effect of cultivar and seed rate on weed infestation and crop performance of wheat. Three wheat cultivars viz. BARI Gom 22, BARI Gom 23 and BARI Gom 24 and four seed rates viz. 80, 100, 120 and 140 kg ha-1 were taken as the experimental treatment. The experiment was carried out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The cultivar and seed rate significantly influenced weed infestation and crop performance of wheat. The dry weight of weeds under cultivar BARI Gom 24 was the lowest (4.18 g m-2) compared to other cultivars. The lowest dry weight of weed was recorded in the seed rate of 120 kg ha-1 (3.67 g m-2) and the highest one (6.69 g m-2) was produced under the seed rate of 80 kg ha-1. The highest number of effective tillers plant-1 (4.05), total number of tillers plant-1 (4.53), number of grain spike-1 (19.85) and grain yield (1.56 g) were produced by BARI Gom 24. BARI Gom 24 produced the highest grain yield (1.56 t ha-1) which was as good as BARI Gom 22 (1.40 t ha-1). BARI Gom 24 produced the highest grain yield with 100 kg seed rate and also a good competitor against weeds. Seed rate was a reliable factor where increasing seed rate reduced the intensity of weed infestation and weed dry weight production. In conclusion, cultivation of BARI Gom 24 at the rate of 120 kg ha-1 seeds may be cultivated for higher grain yield. Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.8(1): 1-8, April 2021