Response of Onion Crop to Varying Cropping Patterns and Non-Chemical Weed Control Methods

An experiment was carried out at the research farm of the University of Agriculture, Peshawar in the Rabi season of 2014 in order to figure out the influence of different cropping patterns (sowing directions) and weed control practices on onion crop. A two factorial RCBD experimental design was used for the experiment replicated three times. Factor A was termed as the cropping pattern (or sowing direction) with two levels (i.e. North-South and East-West), while the factor B included the treatments of Rumex crispus as mulch, Euphorbia helioscopia as mulch, wheat straw as mulch, a hand weeded treatment and a weedy control. Data were taken on fresh weed biomass (kg ha-1), plant height (cm), no. of leaves plant-1 and biological yield (kg ha-1). The results of the investigation showed that both the cropping patterns and weed control measures significantly affected all the studied parameters except plant height at maturity (cm). Furthermore, the N-S sowing direction proved to be more effective in terms of weed control and enhancing the yield of onion crop. Among the weed control measures, hand weeding proved the best in terms of weed control and desirable onion yield. The weed fresh biomass was higher in the E-W sowing direction of onion crop (930 kg ha-1) than in the N-S sowing direction (631 kg ha-1). The weed biomass among the weed control treatments was highest (1003 kg ha-1) in weedy check and lowest (561 kg ha-1) in hand weeding. Similarly, higher no. of leaves plant-1 (7.6) and biological yield (13517 kg ha-1) were obtained in the N-S sowing direction as compared to 6.53 and 12978 kg ha-1, respectively in the E-W sowing direction. The mulch treatments of R. crispus, E. helioscopia and wheat straw had the weed biomasses of 765, 792, and 782 kg ha-1, respectively. Among the factor B treatments, the highest values for the number of leaves plant-1 were in hand weeding (8.5 leaves) and lowest number plant-1 was in weedy check (5.7 leaves). The mulch treatments of R. crispus, E. helioscopia and wheat straw had an average of 7.0, 7.17, and 7.0 leaves plant-1, respectively. The highest biological yield (15364 kg ha-1) was recorded in the plots of hand weeding, while the lowest (11439) in the control. Mulch treatments of R. crispus, E. helioscopia and wheat straw had the biological yield of 13306, 13071 and 13059 kg ha-1, respectively. In conclusion, the North-South cropping pattern (sowing direction) and the mulching of chopped biomass of R. crispus and E. helios