Integrated weed management in upland cotton

Abstract

Comparative efficacy of different pre-emergence herbicides Stomp 330 E(pendimethalin), Stomp 455 CS (pendimethalin), Top 33 EC (pendimethalin),Ronstar 25 EC (Oxadiazon), Treflan 5 EC (trifluralin), Acetor 50 EC (acetochlor)and Dualgold 960 EC (S-metolachlor) was evaluated along with hand weedingand weedy check. The herbicides studied for weed control and their effect onseed cotton yield and its components during 1999, 2000 and 2001. Therecommended production technology except herbicidal treatments was adoptedfor all the experiments. Most dominant weeds were Echinochloa colonum),Cyperus rotundus, Convolvulus arvensis), Digitaria sanguinalis and Cynodondactylon. The data were recorded on phytotoxicity of herbicides on the crop,weed mortality and weed density, bolls per plant, boll weight and seed cottonyield. Non of the herbicidal treatments showed phytotoxicity on the cropexcept Dualgold 960 EC which adversely affected the crop germination andplant population when it was incorporated in soil. Results further revealedthat in all the treatments, hand weeding and chemical weed control treatmentswere at par in reducing the weed infestation and increasing the seed cottonyield.