Cultural weed control

R161055Z
Masara Polite
Defination

 Cultural weed management is defined as any practice or effort adopted by

the farmer in crop production which minimizes weed interference problem
but such methods are not necessarily directed or aimed at weed control
 Cultural weed control includes non-chemical crop management practices
ranging from variety selection to land preparation to harvest and
postharvest processing.
 Cultural weed control is a part of integrated weed management which
involves the integrated use of cultural, manual, and/or mechanical control
methods.
Cont..

 Several cultural practices like tillage, planting, fertilizer application,

irrigation etc., are employed for creating favourable condition for the crop.
These practices if used properly, help in controlling weeds.
 Cultural methods, alone cannot control weeds, but help in reducing weed
population
Field Preparation

 The field has to be kept weed free. Flowering of weeds should not be allowed.
This helps in prevention of build up of weed seed population in the fields.
 Irrigation channels are the important sources of spreading weed seeds. It is
essential, therefore, to keep irrigation channels clean.
 Deep ploughing in summer, exposes underground parts like rhizomes and tubers of
perennial and noxious weeds to scorching summer sun and kills them.
 Conventional tillage which includes 2 to 3 ploughings followed by harrowing
decreases the weed problem.
 Running blade harrows cuts weeds and kills them.
 In lowland rice, puddling operation incorporates all the weeds in the soil which
would decompose in course of time.
PIanting Method

 Sowing of clean crop seeds without weed seeds should be done. It is a

preventive method against introduction of weeds.
 Sowings are taken up one to three days after rainfall or irrigation depending
on soil type. Weeds already present in the soil start geminating within two or
three days.
 Sowing operation with seed drill removes some of the germinating weeds.
 Transplanting is another operation which reduces weed population. Since, the
crop has an additional advantage due to its age
Planting Density

 Plants of one type do not generally allow germination of other plants near
their vicinity. Closer planting of crops suppresses germination and growth of
weeds.
 Wider planting should be avoided. The principle is that the greater the
amount of space taken up by the crop in the rows, the less space there is
available for the weeds to invade. However, it should be borne in mind that
closely spaced crop plants compete with each other
Fertilizer Application

 Plants differ in their capacity to respond to fertiliser application.

 Crops like sorghum, maize, pearl millet and rice grow at a faster rate when
nitrogenous fertilisers are applied and cover the soil earlier.
 Weeds like Cynodon dactylon, Cyperus rotundus do not respond to nitrogen
application and they are suppressed by fast growing crops
 method of application(spot application,Banding,Fertigation using drip
irrigation,Foliar application or Dolloping)
Crop-weed competition:

 Crop genotype choice :Select a weed-competitive variety with early seedling

vigor, and high tillering to suppress weeds. Transplanted crops tend to have
fewer weeds and less yield loss than direct seeded crops.
 Transplant healthy, vigorous seedlings that can better compete with weeds in
early stages.
 Maintain an adequate plant population that closes its canopy by maximum
tillering to shade out weeds. Apply Nitrogen (N) fertilizer just after weeding
to minimize rice-weed competition for N.
 Short statured, erect leaved varieties permit more light compared to tall and
leafy traditional varieties.
 Weeds continue to germinate for long time in 'dwarf varieties resulting in high
weed growth
Mulching:

 the weeds find it difficult to receive enough light to grow and may not be
able to pass through the mulch layer. Dry, hardy material, that decomposes
slowly, keeps its effect longer than fresh mulch material.
Crop rotation:

 Crop rotations lead to the use of different tillage systems, herbicides and
general management because there are different selection pressures that are
imposed on the weeds under different crops.
 Rotation of crops is the most efficient measure to regulate seed and root
weeds.
 Changing the conditions of the crop interrupts the living conditions of the
weeds thus inhibiting their growth and spread
intercropping

 (mixed cropping and under-sowing): Intercropping with fast growing weed-

suppressive species (‘smoother crop’ or ‘living mulch’) between rows of main
crop species is effective in weed control. There are different examples known
to work in Africa, for example, pumpkins as intercrops in cassava to reduce
weed occurrence.
Intercropping

 Intercropping is the growing of two or more crops in the same field at the
same time.

 It changes light spectral quality that gets to the ground

 It leads to quicker coverage of the ground. Light penetration to the ground is

reduced hence the competitiveness of weeds is reduced.

 Common crop combinations for Zimbabwe are maize/pumpkin,

maize/cowpea, maize/groundnut
Water management: flooding

 Water is the best control for weeds. Many weeds cannot germinate or grow
under flooded conditions (e.g. most grasses and some sedges). Maintain a 2-5
cm water level in the field to minimize weed emergence and lower weed
pressure. If water is sufficient, fields can be continuously flooded from the
time of transplanting to when crop canopy covers the soil completely. Good
land leveling is critical to avoid high spots where weeds can become
established
Why Use Cultural Control of Weeds?

 Cost effective and easy to practice: Acceptable and accessible to small &
large farmers
 Non-chemical and ecologically sound
 Prevention is better than cure
Limitations:

 Needs good knowledge and understanding of various cultural practices that

can reduce weed pressure
 Continuous vigilance and monitoring are essential to control weeds by cultural
methods
 Some practices are labor intensive.