Weed Control In Rainfed Agriculture
Weed cause considerable damage to the crops in general and in dryland particular. The weeds complete with crop plants in respect of moisture and nutrients. The moisture as such is already in short supply in dryland. In fact one of the measures of moisture conservation is to control weeds. The extent damage varies from 35 to 97% Pretillage perations usually deep ploughing reduces weed intensity control of annual weeds is not problem in rabi soils but control of perennial weeds like.
Hanjalic, Kunda is the problem in dry lands weeds are found in patches. Weeds in kharif lands are the problem. The cost involved in weed control is not likely to be compensated by the production. The major composition of the weed flora is celosia (Kurdu) comeliness (Kena) and cyanotis (Echaka).
Weed control methods:
1. Mechanical weed control: Hand weeding or hoeing carried out at 30 to 35 days of sowing at grand growth period. Competition is serious during first 30 days period. During this period plant growth is slow and there is set back to crop growth affecting tillers, panicle size and poor stand in general.
2. Chemical weed control: Under certain situations like shortage of labour, inaccessibility of fields due to rains and mechanical weed control is with great difficulty the chemical weed control has place in dry lands. In this regards reemergence of application of weedicide has a place. Use Atrazine @ 0.5 kg al / ha as a re emergence and 2.4 – D as post emergence.