2024, Vol. 7, Special Issue 12

author(s)
Kamalkumaran PR, K Kumanan, R Arun Kumar, M Anand, M Velmurugan and S Muthuramalingam

abstract
An experiment was conducted in elephant foot yam to find out alternatives to manual weeding and to formulate an economical integrated weed management. The experiment was laid out in RBD with 8 treatments and 3 replications, and conducted at the Department of Vegetable Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Chemical and non-chemical methods of weed management were compared. Among the treatments, the observations on weeds revealed that maximum weed density (198.49) was recorded in weedy check (T₈). The minimum weed density (14.66) and maximum weed control efficiency (80.67) was recorded by the weed control ground cover (T₆). Minimum weed index (2.05) was recorded in T₁ (Pre-emergence herbicide (1DAP) + Post emergence herbicide at 45 and 90 DAP) and it was maximum (46.26) in weedy check (T₈-control). The predominant weeds occurred in elephant foot yam experimental field were Cyperus rotundus, Trianthema portulocastrum, Cynodon dactylon, Brachiaria reptans, Chloris barbata, Parthenium hysterophorus, Euphorbia prostrata, Amaranthus spinosus and Euphorbia hirta.The significantly highest corm yield per plant (2.87 kg) and corm yield per hectare (42.98) were recorded in weed control ground cover (T₆) which was on par with T₁[Pre-emergence herbicide (1DAP) + Post emergence herbicide at 45 and 90 DAP] (42.10). The different weed management practices expressed a wide variation in benefit cost ratio. The maximum BC ratio (1.75) was obtained in weed control ground cover (T₆). The BC ratio of 1.64 was obtained by the application of Pre-emergence herbicide (1DAP) + Post emergence herbicide at 45 and 90 DAP. However, the lowest BC ratio (1.15) was recorded in the weedy check (control).