Abstract
The effects of Oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC on microflora population and soil physico-chemical properties in potato were investigated over two seasons (2008-9 and 2010-11). The treatments are as follows: oxyfluorfen 23.5%EC @100, 200 and 300 g a.i. ha -1 as pre-emergence, atrazine @ 1000 g ha -1 as pre-emergence, pendimethalin @ 1500 g ha -1 as pre-planting incorporation, farmer practice (hand weeding twice at 15 and 30 DAP) and unweeded control. Among all the treatments, oxyfluorfen@ 300 g a.i. ha -1 recorded minimum weed population as well as biomass. Potato tuber yield was maximum in oxyfluorfen 23.5%EC @ 300 g a.i. ha -1 (35.032 t ha -1 ) which is statistically at par with oxyfluorfen 23.5%EC @ 200 g a.i. ha -1 (34.706 t ha -1 ). Excluding atrazine @ 1000 g ha -1 and pendimethalin @ 1500 g ha -1 , no phytotoxicity in potato plants was observed in the herbicidal treatments. Bulk density, water holding capacity, moisture content, soil pH, organic matter content, electrical conductivity, as well as total nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium contents were analyzed along with microflora population (total bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi). Soil physico-chemical properties were unchanged. Though, herbicide treatments resulted in decreases in microbial counts initially but with the degradation of applied herbicides within a considerable time, the population even exceeded later than the initial count.
Highlights
The most important staple food crop in the world is potato
The decrease in the total bacterial population up to different dates was due to competitive influence and the toxic effect as well as different persistence periods of different chemical herbicides in different soil ecosystems
For all the cases of herbicidal treatments, total bacteria recovered from initial loss and exceeded than initial counts (Ghosh et al 2012).Herbicidal the toxic effect or ammensalic or competitive influence of various micro-organisms caused the change of population of fungi in the rhizosphere soil of potato
Summary
The most important staple food crop in the world is potato. Potatoes are an economical food; they provide a source of low cost energy to the human diet. There are several constraints in potato production, of which weeds often pose a serious problem. Even though potato plants have robust growing and quick spreading nature but it turns as a weak competitor with weeds. Weeds compete with crop plants for nutrients, soil moisture, space and sunlight and
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