Integrated weed management strategies on weed flora, vase life and economic parameters of Prajwal tuberose

Abstract

An experiment was carried out from April 2014 to March 16 to find out the impact of integrated weed management practices on tuberose cv. Prajwal, it is loose flower used for perfumery extraction, garland and semi-double, double type for cut flower crop, weed presence always compete for light, water, nutrient with main crop ultimately reduce yield and quality of floral and bulb, experiment was comprised with fourteen integrated treatments combination like three hand weeding at 30,60,90 days interval, three levels of four pre-emergence herbicides chemicals like pendemethalin (0.75, 1.0 kg a.i. ha-1, 0.75 kg a.i. ha-1 + one hand weeding at 40 DAP), oxyflourfen( 0.5, 0.75 kg a.i. ha-1, 0.75 kg a.i. ha-1 + one hand weeding at 40 DAP), atrazine (1.0, 1.5 kg a.i. ha-1,1.0 kg a.i. ha-1 + one hand weeding at 40 DAP), butachlor (1.0, 1.5 kg a.i. ha-1,1.0 kg a.i. ha-1 + one hand weeding at 40 DAP) and weedy check replicated thrice in randomized block design. In the present investigation the pre emergence application of pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg a.i. / ha showed significantly lowest weed population (number / m2), fresh weight and dry weight of weeds (g /m2) with highest weed control efficiency (%) at 25 DAP respectively, integrated pre- emergence combination of pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg a.i / ha + one hand weeding application at 50 DAP and three hand weeding at 30, 60 and 90 days interval practice recorded at 75 DAP were at par and better over the weedy check. Whereas, three hand weeding at 30, 60 and 90 DAP were recorded highest vase life (days), water uptake (ml), loose flower yield (5285, 13847 kg ha-1), bulb yield ha-1 (279459, 985800 ha-1), gross returns and net returns (₹ / ha) in the year 2014 and 2015 respectively. However, pre-emergence application of pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg a.i. / ha + one hand weeding at 40 days was statistically at par with three hand weeding at 30, 60 and 90 DAP, which recorded highest BC ratio (1.56, 20.27 respectively) during 2014 and 2015. Therefore, on the basis of two years results it is recommended that combination of preemergence application of pendimethalin @ 0.75 kg active ingredient per ha + one hand weeding at 40 days proved beneficial for integrated weed management in tuberose.