Impact of Glyphosate on Weed Biomass and Growth. of Coconut Seedlings in Nurseries

Abstract

The effects of five different weed management systems on growth of coconut seedlings were evaluated to detennine an economical and effective method for controlling weeds in coconut nurseries in the low country ofthe wet zone in Sri Lanka. The treatments comprised ofmanual weeding (TI)' application ofglyphosate at 1.44 kg ai/ha (T2), 1.08 kg ailha (T3), 0.72 kg ailha (T') and 0.36 kg ailha (Ts) applied at three-month intervals. Treatments 1 and 2 significantly reduced the weed biomass when compared to other treatmetns. The growth of coconut seedlings (in tenns pf height and girth) increased significantly (P<0.05) with the application of glyphosate at 1.08 kg ailha (T) at the end of the nursery growth period. At the higher concentration (1.44 kg ailha) the growth of seedlings was reduced at the latter part of the experiment. Therefore, the most costeffective treatment ofcontrolling we.eds in the study was to apply glyphosate at the rate of 1.08 kg ailha (31 of commercial mixturelha). Manual weeding was neither effective no economical.

Description

Keywords

coconut, seedling, monocotyledonous weed, glyphosate

Citation

COCOS,2010,19: 51-56

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