Weed Interference in the Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) Plantations of Ethiopia

Abstract

Field experiments involving sprawling and erect cultivars of sugarcane and 12 weed competition periods were conducted in randomized complete block design in four replications for two cropping seasons at three sugarcane plantations of Ethiopia. Sugarcane was either kept free of weeds or weeds were allowed to grow for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 weeks after planting (WAP). The sprawling sugarcane cultivars (‘B41227’ and ‘N14’) suppressed weed growth more and gave higher cane yield than the erect cultivar ‘NCo334’. The cane yield loss in unweeded plots compared to weed free plots ranged from 69.7% for sprawling cultivar ‘B41227’ at Methara to 83.5% at Wonji-Shoa for the erect cultivar ‘NCo334’. The beginning and end of critical periods of weed interference on 5% acceptable cane yield loss levels ranged from about 2.5 to 14 WAP for the erect cultivar and from 3 to 13.5 WAP for the sprawling cultivars implying the need to use herbicides or other weed control methods in sugarcane plantations of Ethiopia during these periods to keep cane yield loss levels below 5%.