🌾 Weed Management in Horticultural Crops
Weed Management in Horticultural Crops.
Weed management is a core crop protection activity in horticulture because uncontrolled weeds reduce yield, quality, and efficiency of irrigation, fertilization, and harvesting.
Impact of Weeds on Horticultural Crops
- Compete for water, nutrients, light, and space.
- Harbour pests and pathogens.
- Reduce produce quality through contamination.
- Interfere with operations such as spraying, irrigation, and harvest.
- Increase cost of cultivation.
Methods of Weed Management
Manual and Mechanical Methods
- Hand weeding: Common but labour-intensive
- Hoeing: Manual or wheel hoe between rows
- Mowing/slashing: Common orchard floor management
- Mulching: Suppresses weeds by blocking light
Cultural Methods
| Practice | Mechanism |
|---|---|
| Mulching | Blocks light, reduces weed germination |
| Cover cropping | Competitive suppression of weeds |
| Close spacing | Faster canopy closure |
| Intercropping | Occupies available resources |
| Crop rotation | Breaks weed cycle |
| Solarization | Heat kills weed seeds in topsoil |
Chemical Weed Management
| Herbicide | Type | Crop | Dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glyphosate | Non-selective, post-emergence | Orchards (directed spray) | 1.0-2.0 kg/ha |
| Paraquat | Non-selective, contact | Orchards, plantations | 0.5-1.0 kg/ha |
| Pendimethalin | Pre-emergence | Vegetables, onion | 1.0-1.5 kg/ha |
| Oxyfluorfen | Pre-emergence | Onion, garlic | 0.15-0.25 kg/ha |
| Butachlor | Pre-emergence | Nursery beds | 1.0-1.5 kg/ha |
| Atrazine | Pre-emergence | Sugarcane, maize (intercrop) | 0.5-1.0 kg/ha |
Mulching for Weed Control
- Organic mulch: Straw, dried leaves, coir pith, sawdust, sugarcane trash
- Plastic mulch: Black polyethylene, silver-black, transparent variants
- Living mulch: Low-growing cover crops between rows
- Black plastic mulch is widely used in strawberry, tomato, capsicum, and flower crops.
Integrated Weed Management (IWM)
- Combines cultural, mechanical, chemical, and biological methods.
- Common schedule: pre-emergence herbicide + one hand weeding at 30-40 days.
- Drip plus mulch combination significantly reduces weed pressure.
- Mycoherbicides are still mostly in experimental use.
Summary Cheat Sheet
| Item | Key Revision Point |
|---|---|
| Typical yield loss | About 20-50% if weeds are unmanaged |
| Fastest suppression method | Mulching + timely interculture |
| Chemical timing | Pre-emergence and post-emergence differ by herbicide |
| Practical IWM combo | Pre-emergence spray + manual weeding |
| Orchard caution | Use directed spray for non-selective herbicides |
References
2 sources • [1] [2]
References
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