Weed control in irrigated corn by hairy vetch interseeded at different rates and times

In order to study the potential of interseeded hairy vetch as a living mulch to control weeds in corn, a field study was conducted at the Agricultural Research Farm, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. The experiment was carried out in a split-split plot arrangement with four replications. The main plots were two weed treatments (weedy and weed-free for all of the growing season), the subplots were two hairy vetch planting dates (simultaneous with corn planting and 10 days after corn emergence), and the sub-subplots were three hairy vetch planting rates (0, 25, and 50 kg ha-1). The results indicated that the weedy condition for all of the growing season reduced corn plant traits, including the seed yield, number of ears per plant, number of seeds per ear, 100-seed weight, height, Leaf Area Index, and leaf chlorophyll content, as compared to the weed-free condition for the entire growing season. The hairy vetch dry weight also was reduced by the full-season weedy condition. The traits under study were not significantly influenced by the hairy vetch planting times, but increasing the hairy vetch planting rate from 0 to 50 kg ha-1 improved the corn yield, number of seeds per ear, 100-seed weight, height, Leaf Area Index, and leaf chlorophyll content. However, the number of ears per plant was not significantly influenced and the weed dry weight was reduced by half. Overall, from the standpoint of corn seed production, an interseeding amount of 25 kg ha-1 of hairy vetch is recommended; taking into consideration the legume forage yield, an interseeding amount of 50 kg ha-1 of hairy vetch is more beneficial.