Effect of Weed Management Practices and Iron Levels on Nodulation and Yield Attributes of Kharif Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under Arid Western Rajasthan

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif seasons of 2024 and 2025 at the College of Agriculture, S.K. Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. The experiment comprised seven weed management practices and four iron fertilisation levels, resulting in 28 treatment combinations. These treatments were evaluated in a factorial randomised block design with three replications. Groundnut variety HNG-123, a semi-spreading (Virginia bunch) cultivar, was sown at a seed rate of 100 kg ha⁻¹ with a spacing of 30 cm × 10 cm. The results revealed that weed management practices and iron levels significantly influenced the nodulation and yield attributes of kharif groundnut. Among the weed management treatments, the weed-free treatment recorded the highest number of nodules (67.39 plant⁻¹), nodule dry weight (1.92 g plant⁻¹), pods per plant (19.95) and kernels per pod (1.98). Pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg a.i. ha⁻¹ as pre-emergence followed by fomesafen + fluazifop-p-butyl @ 25 g a.i. ha⁻¹ at 20 DAS recorded 65.50 nodules plant⁻¹ and remained statistically at par with the weed-free treatment. In contrast, the weedy check consistently recorded the lowest values for all these parameters. Among the iron levels, the application of 6 kg FeSO₄ ha⁻¹ as a basal dose along with two foliar sprays of FeSO₄ @ 0.5% at 30 and 45 DAS significantly improved nodulation and yield attributes, recording the highest number of nodules (62.32 plant⁻¹), nodule dry weight (1.67 g plant⁻¹), pods per plant (19.02) and kernels per pod (1.57). The seed index remained statistically unaffected by weed management practices and iron levels.