Weed infestation is one of the most critical constraints limiting maize productivity, particularly under semi-arid conditions where crop–weed competition is intense during early growth stages. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated weed management (IWM) practices on weed dynamics, crop performance, and economic returns of maize in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India. A field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2025 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Nehru Mahavidyalaya, Lalitpur, using a randomized block design (RBD) with nine treatments and three replications. The treatments included weedy check, weed-free condition, sole herbicidal and manual methods, and integrated approaches combining pre- and post-emergence herbicides. Observations on weed density, weed dry matter, weed control efficiency (WCE), growth parameters, yield attributes, grain yield, and economic returns were recorded. Results revealed that integrated approaches significantly outperformed individual methods. The sequential application of atrazine (pre-emergence) followed by tembotrione (post-emergence) proved most effective, achieving over 90% weed control efficiency with minimum weed density and dry matter. This treatment recorded a grain yield of 54.2 q ha⁻¹, which was statistically comparable to the weed-free treatment (58.4 q ha⁻¹), along with superior growth and yield attributes. Economic analysis indicated that this treatment resulted in the highest net returns with a benefit–cost ratio of 3.04. Thus, integrated weed management, particularly the combination of atrazine and tembotrione, offers an efficient, economically viable, and sustainable strategy for improving maize productivity under semi-arid conditions.
