AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE www.arccjournals.com/www.legumeresearch.in *Corresponding author’s e-mail: thoiagri@gmail.com. 1 ICAR-Research Complex for NEH Region, Mizoram Centre, Kolasib-796 081, Mizoram, India. Legume Research, 40 (1) 2017 : 105-116 Print ISSN:0250-5371 / Online ISSN:0976-0571 Growth, development and yield as affected by planting pattern and weed management in field pea and baby corn intercropping system Moirangthem Thoithoi Devi* 1 and V.K. Singh Department of Agronomy, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, U.S. Nagar-263145, India. Received: 13-08-2015 Accepted: 26-05-2016 DOI:10.18805/lr.v0iOF.11039 ABSTRACT A field experiment was conducted during two consecutive seasons of rabi 2011-13 at Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre of G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar to find out the effect of planting pattern and weed management practices on growth, development and yield of field pea and baby corn in field pea (Pant P-13) + baby corn (Surya) intercropping system. The experiment was laid out in split plot design keeping four planting patterns as main plot and four weed management practices as sub plot with three replications. Most of the growth parameters viz. number of branches per plant, dry matter accumulation (g/plant), crop growth rate and relative growth rate of field pea were comparatively higher under sole planting of field pea as compared to intercropping systems. Sole planting of field pea recorded significantly higher grain (2264 and 1434 kg ha -1 ) and straw yields (3263 and 2540 kg ha -1 ) during 2011-12 and 2012-2013 than yield obtained as a component crop in paired planting of maize (30/60 cm) + field pea (2:2) and planting of maize + field pea (1:1). Baby corn yield was similar in sole, paired (2:2) and 1:1 planting but significantly higher stover yield of baby corn (3576 kg ha -1 and 3533 kg ha -1 , during 2011-12 and 2012-2013 respectively) was obtained from sole crop than other planting methods during both the years. Hand weeding at 30 days after sowing, pre emergence application of pendimethalin 1 kg ha -1 and post emergence application of imazethapyr 50 g ha -1 30 days after sowing improved all the growth and yield parameters of field pea and baby corn than weedy check . Key words: Baby corn, Crop growth rate, Field pea, Relative growth rate, Yield. INTRODUCTION Intercropping of cereals with pulses is an age old practice. There are evidences that intercropping of short growing grain legumes with tall cereals give higher productivity than corresponding sole crops (Rao and Willey, 1983). Field pea (Pisum sativum), one of the important pulse crop of winter season has great potential to contribute to the pulse basket in India. Maize, the queen of cereals, is cultivated worldwide round the year. During the recent past, it has been used as vegetable where unfertilized young cob is used for cooking purpose, popularly known as baby corn (Zea mays L.) (Barod et al., 2012) Introduction of baby corn during off season (winter months), because of its photo and thermo insensitiveness will promote nutritive dish of the people and also fetch additional income to farming community. Normally baby corn is planted in wider rows and a considerable portion of the incident solar radiation remains un-intercepted due to poor canopy development because of its slow growth during winter season. Slow crop growth during winter months provide ample opportunity to the growth of weeds. Maintenance of adequate crop cover turns the competition in favour of crop. Intercropping itself has been found helpful in limiting weed population by way of cutting light to them. So field pea may be introduced between the rows of baby corn. Intercropping of legumes with maize has been found to give yield advantage owing to efficient utilization of growth resources and maintenance of soil health (Singh et al., 1998). Mishra (2014) reported that maize + field pea intercropping system resulted an extra advantage of 85.6 per cent in terms of maize equivalent yield over sole maize. Weed suppression in intercropping through more efficient use of environmental resources by component crops has been reported by Mashingaizde et al. (2000). Development of feasible and economically viable intercropping system depends largely on adoption of proper planting pattern as well as weed management. Efficiency of production in intercropping system could be improved by minimizing inter-specific competition between the component crops. Planting pattern alters the space available to individual plant; hence the degree of competition for natural resources becomes variable between component crops. Appropriation of suitable planting pattern is thus, necessary to bring the competition to the minimum level. Pandey et al. (1999) at VPKAS, Almora found that soybean yield under paired rows of maize (30/90 cm) + soybean in 2:2 row was 46.7 per cent higher than that of maize (45/90 cm) + soybean in 2:2 row ratio. Aravinth et al. (2011) at