Effect of Integrated Weed Management Practices on Plant Height, Number of Tillers in Turmeric During kharif Season

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, during kharif season of 2012 to evaluate the integrated weed management with pre and post emergence herbicides in turmeric. The experiments were laid out in Randomized block design and replicated thrice. The treatments comprised of different weed management practices wherein PE herbicides viz ., metribuzin 0.7 kg ha ‑1 , pendimethalin 1.0 kg ha ‑1 and atrazine 0.75 kg ha ‑1 followed by either POE fenoxaprop 67 g ha ‑1 + metsulfuron 4 g ha ‑1 (Tank mix) on 45 DAP or HW on 45 and 75 DAP or straw mulch 10 t ha ‑1 on 10 DAP + HW on 75 DAP, all PE oxyfluorfen 0.30 kg ha ‑1 , PE oxadiargyl 0.25 kg ha ‑1 , POE glyphosate 1.03 kg ha ‑1 and 1.54 kg ha ‑1 on 25 DAP followed by HW on 45 and 75 DAP, HW on25, 45 and 75 DAP and unweeded check were imposed. In both the experiments, observations were recorded on plant growth parameters like plant height and plant dry matter production and number of tillers were recorded in kharif season 2012. In the experimental fields, Echinochloa colonum and Digitaria bicornis among grasses, Cyperus rotundus in sedge, Eclipta prostrata and Boerhaavia diffusa under broad leaved weed were the predominant weeds. The grasses constituted the major proportion of the weed flora at all the growth stages of the crop. Slight to moderate phytotoxicity symptoms in turmeric were observed in glyphosate 1.03 and 1.54 kg ha -1 at the time of application of herbicides, however the crop recovered later. Among the weed management treatments imposed, PE metribuzin 0.7 kg ha ­-­1 + HW on 45 and 75 DAP registered higher uptake of nutrient by crop due to effective control of weeds which enhanced the availability of nutrients to crop leading to positive results in respective of growth parameters like plant height, dry matter production and number of tillers plant -1 , during 2012.