WEED MANAGEMENT AND MULCHING

Weed control
Vegetables are slow growing in initial stages and are usually short in stature. Heavy use of
farmyard manure and compost, ideal soil conditions, high fertilizer application and frequent
irrigation given to vegetable crops favour growth of a number of weeds in the fields. Frequent
tillage operations break underground parts of perennial weeds like Cynodon dactylon, Panicum
repens and Cyprus rotundus into many pieces and each one grows as separate plant. The weeds
not only smoother the crop in early stages, but also compete with vegetable crops for nutrients,
water and space. They also harbour diseases and pests by serving as alternate hosts. Emilin
sonchifolia and Leucas aspera, serving as alternate hosts, have great role in spreading dreadful
yellow mosaic vein disease in okra.
Weeds commonly found in vegetable fields include annuals like Bermuda grass (Cynodon
dactylon), nut grass (Cyperus rotundus), torpedo grass (Panicum repens), crab grass (Digitaria
ciliaris) and broad leaved plants like pip weed (Amaranthus viridis), niruri (Phyllanthus niruri),
red tassel flower (Emilin sonchifolia), goat weed (Ageratum conyzoides), spurge (Euphorbia
hirta), Horse purslane (Triantheme portulacastrum) etc. A number of other plants also occur as
weeds in specific locations.
Once the crop is smothered by weeds, its further growth is suppressed and productivity is
adversely affected. Care should be taken to control weeds in early stages of crop growth. In slow
growing vegetables like carrot, chilli, amaranth, etc., competition from weeds should be avoided
in seedling stage.
After establishment and full coverage of crops like chilli, brinjal, tomato, cowpea, okra etc.,
weeds will be automatically suppressed.
In closely planted vegetables like okra, solanaceous vegetables, cole crops and root crops weeds
and stubbles should be removed at the time of land preparation itself. Repeated hoeing, spade
weeding, hand weeding etc. are effective weed control methods and hence, widely followed in
vegetable cultivation. The uprooted broad leaved species are usually spread around the plants
and are covered with soil by light earthing up so that the weeds will be converted to valuable
manure. It will also improve aeration and root growth in vegetables. Use of mulches either
organic or plastic is also efficient for control of weeds.
Due to high cost involved in hand weeding, use of herbicides is widely followed in vegetable
cultivation. Herbicides can be classified as pre-emergence and post-emergence weedicides,
depending up on time of application. Pre-emergence weedicides are applied immediately after
sowing or planting of crops. They are intended to prevent germination and establishment of
weeds.
Alachlor, fluchloralin, metalachlor, pedemethalin and oxyfluorfen are common pre-emergence
weedicides used in India.
Post emergence weedicides are applied on existing weeds to kill them.
Since this group is not selective to weeds alone, it should be applied before land preparation. In
widely spread vegetables like pumpkin, ash gourd, bottle gourd, etc. it can be applied as direct
spray in between rows without touching on plants. Paraquat and glyphosphate are the important
post emergence weedicides. Details of important weedicides used in vegetable cultivation are
given below:

Herbicides Commercial Manufacture Usual dosage (kg

name r a.i./ha)

Pre-emergence herbicides

1. Alachlor Lasso Monsanto 1.0-2.0

2. Dual Novartis 1.5-2.0

Metolachlor

3. Stomp Cyanamid 1.5-2.0

Pendimethali India
n

4. Basalin BASF 0.75-1.5

Fluchloralin

5. Goal Indofil 0.1-0.2

Oxyfluorfen

Post emergence herbicides

1. Paraquat Grammaxone Novartis 0.4-0.8

2. Round up Monsanto 0.8-1.2

Glyphosphate

Glycel Excel 0.8-1.2

Industries

4. 2,4-D Fernoxone Novartis 1.0-1.05

A pre-emergence application of oxyfluorfen @ 0.25 kg a.i./ha or pendimethalin @1.0 kg a.i./ ha
or fluchloralin @1.5 kg a.i./ha or alachlor @ 2.0 kg a.i./ha followed by one hand weeding at 30
to 45 days after planting was found the most economical in crops like chilli, brinjal, tomato, okra
etc.
Perennial weeds like Cynodon dactylon, Cyperus rotundus and Panicum repens are serious
problems in many vegetable fields. Spraying of post-emergence weedicide glyphosphate @ 1.2
kg a.i./ha 45 days before sowing followed by a second application one month later on surviving
weeds ensure complete control. Land preparation and sowing of the crop can be done 15 days
after second application of herbicide.

Mulching
Under adverse climatic conditions like high and low temperature regimes, mulching has
favourable effect on growth and productivity of vegetables.
Shallow cultivation practices like racking of soil, simple scraping, hoeing, light digging etc.
provide mulching effect. It conserves soil moisture and increases soil aeration, soil temperature,
microbial activity and nitrification process. It also controls weed growth. In heavy soils,
increased aeration by frequent cultivation improves nitrification process. In soils with limited
moisture, it helps to conserve soil moisture by disturbing or stopping upward capillary movement
of water.
Mulching is usually done with organic materials like straw, green leaves, dry leaves or by use of
plastic sheets. Mulching with black polythene sheet is very effective in suppressing weed growth
in cultivation of vegetables.
However, recycling of used polythene is a problem in use of plastic mulches.