Study of weed management on growth and yield of Indian mustard (Brassica juneca L.) in Uttar Pradesh region

Oilseeds form a cornerstone of food security and livelihoods in South Asia, with mustard (Brassica juncea) serving as a vital Rabi crop across the Indo-Gangetic plains. Despite its importance, mustard suffers considerable yield losses due to intense weed competition, often accounting for 30–50% reductions under poor management. To address this, a field experiment was conducted during the 2024–25 Rabi season at the Organic Research Farm, Maharishi University of Information Technology, Uttar Pradesh, to evaluate the impact of different weed management practices. Treatments included hand weeding, herbicides such as Pendimethalin, Alachlor, and Metolachlor, and their combinations with manual weeding, compared against a weed check and stable seed bed. Observations on plant growth, yield attributes, nutrient uptake, and seed yield were analyzed using standard statistical procedures. Results revealed that integrated practices, particularly Pendimethalin at 0.75 kg/ha combined with hand weeding at 30 DAS, significantly enhanced plant height, leaf area index, siliquae per plant, and seed yield. Hand weeding alone produced the maximum seed and stover yield but was labour-intensive, while integrated treatments offered effective, sustainable, and labor-saving alternatives. The study underscores integrated weed management as a practical strategy for boosting mustard productivity and narrowing yield gaps under subtropical agro-ecologies of northern India.