Weed management in high density peach (Prunus persica Batsch) orchard under mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh
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Date
2021-09-25
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Palampur
Abstract
A field experiment consisting of nine weed management practices viz., legume intercropping
(T1), turmeric intercropping (T2), fodder intercropping (T3), sod culture (T4), glyphosate (T5),
paraquat (T6), mulch (T7), manual weeding (T8) and weedy check (T9) was conducted at Palampur
from kharif 2018 to rabi 2019-20. Soil of the experimental field was acidic in reaction, high in
organic carbon, medium in available nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium.
Artemisia vulgaris and Ageratum conyzoides were the major weeds constituting 26.5 and 19.7 per
cent of the total weed flora during kharif 2018. However, Artemisia vulgaris and Alternanthera
philoxeroides were the major weed constituting about 24.4 and 20.4 per cent of the total weed
population during kharif 2019. In rabi season, Artemisia vulgaris and Trifolium repens were the
major weeds constituting 31.2 and 26.4 per cent during rabi 2018-19 and 33.7 and 26.2 per cent
during rabi 2019-20 of the total weed flora. In kharif season, legume intercropping had the lowest
weed count during both the years and was statistically at par with glyphosate treatment. The legume
intercropping gave significantly lower total weed dry matter and was statistically at par with
glyphosate treatment during kharif 2018. However in kharif 2019, legume intercropping treatment
gave significantly lower total weed dry matter and was statistically at par with glyphosate and fodder
intercropping. In rabi season, legume intercropping had the lowest weed count and weed dry matter
during both the years and was statistically at par with glyphosate treatment. Highest weed control
efficiency was obtained in legume intercropping followed by glyphosate treatment in both seasons
during both the years. No phytotoxicity of any herbicide was recorded on peach. Highest water
holding capacity, organic carbon content, carbon sequestration in soil, microbial biomass carbon and
dehydrogenase activity of soil was recorded in weed mulch treatment which was statistically at par
with legume intercropping during both the years. Legume intercropping gave maximum available N,
P and K, count of bacteria, fungi & actinomycetes, microbial index and carbon sequestration by fruit
trees during both the years. Legume intercropping resulted in highest fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit
weight, number of fruits per plant and fruit yield per plant over rest of the treatments. Uninterrupted
growth of weeds reduced the fruit yield by 41.14 per cent during 2019 and by 50.82 per cent during
2020. Peach equivalent yield was highest in legume intercropping followed by turmeric intercropping
in peach. Highest gross return, net return, net return per rupee invested and sustainability was
observed in legume intercropping during the course of study. Based on two years study, it may be
advocated to adopt legume intercropping for weed management, higher production and quality fruits,
soil health, economic viability and sustainability of peach orchard.