Economics of weed control in mulberry (Morus indica)

Abstract

A field experiment during the rainy (khar9 and winter (rabi) seasons of 1991-92 on red sandy clay-loam soil on mulberry (Morus indica) revealed that the weed-free check significantly outyielded the herbicides-treated plots. However, considering the cost of weed-control treatments alone, all the herbicides under trial showed higher benefit : cost ratio than weed-free check. Out of the evaluated herbicides, diuron and metolachlor were found most economical compared with the rest of the herbicides. . - The final choice of any weed-control loam with high organic carbon (0.38%), low measure will depend largely on effectiveness in nitrogen (188 kgha) and phosphorus and economics. The cost of weed control (18.4 kglha) but .medium in available must be compared with the resulting in- potassium (224 kglha). The pH of the creased value of the crop. Mulberry (Morus experimental soil was 6.2. indica) is no exception to this. Although the The experiment was laid out in rand- age-old practices like intercultivation and omized complete-block design with 3 repli- hand-weeding controlled the weeds effec- cations. Seven herbicides, viz. diuron, tively, often they are tedious, labour con- butachlor, isoproturon, alachlor, metol- suming and expensive. On contrary, the her- achlor, pendirnethalin and oxyfluorfen, each - ra bicides usage offer an effective and econom- at 2 levels as pre-emergent sprays, were inte- ical means of reducing weed competition, grated with weed-free check and unweeded crop losses and production losses (Kasi- control, resulting in all 16 treatments. viswanathan et al., 1978). Hence an attempt Kanav 2 (M 5) was selected for the ex- was made to work out the comparative eco- periment and all the plots were uniformly nomics among different weed-control treat- fertilized at 300 kg N, 120 kg P,O, and 120 ments. kg K,Oha/year. Out of which, 60 kg Nfha was top-dressed after the harvest of each M A T E W S AM) METHODS crop in a year. Herbicides were applied on The field experiment was conducted at next day after bottom pruning by using - University of Agricultural Sciences, knap-sack sprayer. The herbicidal spray was --- Bangalore, during the rainy (kharfl and taken only for first crop. Irrigation was pro- winter (rabi) seasons of 199 1-92. The soil vided as per the schedule. The gross returns of the experimental site was red sandy-clay were calculated by pricing leaf yield at