Delayed Cutting Stage in Dual Purpose Wheat: A Better Strategy to Control Weeds and Enhance Forage Production

Abstract

Green fodder accessibility is a serious issue for livestock, especially in crop land areas where fodder crops cannot be sown due to competition with staple food crops like wheat. The aim of the study was to estimate reduction in weeds density in dual purpose wheat crop utilized for forage and grain production under different cutting stages. Wheat variety Atta-Habib was sown at Palatoo Research Farm (PRF), The University of Agriculture Peshawar, during 2014-15, for fodder and grain production. The five treatments were consisting of no-cut and one cut i.e. at Zadok growth stage 12 or 14 or 16 or 18. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block (RCB) design with four replications and plot size 3x3m 2 . Results showed that fodder production was increased while weeds fresh and dry weight were reduced with delaying cutting stage from ZGS-12 to ZGS-18, whereas biological and grain yield were also decreased from 13354 to 9949kg ha -1 and from 4552 to 3086 respectively with delayed cutting. No cut results highest weeds density (241m -2 ) as compared to cut at ZGS 18 i.e. (131m -2 ). From all findings it was concluded that no cut is optimum to obtain higher grain yield (4542kg ha -1 ) and highest biological yield (13354kg ha -1 ) but cut at ZGS-18 is optimum for forage production (1865kg ha -1 ) as well as for reduction in yield losses due to weeds. About 48% weeds control and highest green fodder may be obtained with a reduction of 1466kg ha -1 in grain yield and 3405kg ha -1 in biological yield.