Effect of Weed Control Measures in Jute Under Terai Zone of West Bengal, India

摘要

Jute is a major each crop in the terai zone of West Bengal covering more 0.15 million hectares of eropped area. High occurrence of pre-monsoon showers coupled with high humidity results in huge weed growth and farmers have to go for a huge expenditurefor controlling weeds through hand weeding. An on farm trial has been carried out for two consecutive years to evaluate cost-effective and eco-friendly weed control measures in jute. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with 12replicates and straw mulch after thinning as well as application of post-emergence herbicides was assessed against the farmers' practice of manual weeding only. Application of quizalofop ethyl 5% @ 50 g a.i. ha~(-1) at 15-20 days after sowing (DAS) followed by one hand weeding at 35-40 DAS was found to be more effective in controlling the weed population than hand weeding only or straw mulching as reflectd from lesser weed dry matter production (11.58 g nr2) with increased height (306 cm) and basal diameter (12.63 mm)leading to higher fiber yield (3.261 ha~(-1)) Similarly, the highest net return (Rs 65,600.00 and Rs 37,920.00 during 2010 and 2011, respectively) and benefit-cost ratio (3.99 and 2.64 during 2010 and 2011, respectively) were also recorded with herbicides treated plots.