Effect of Band Application of Herbicides Integrated with Mulching and Hoeing on Weed Dynamics and Sugarcane Productivity

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted during the spring season 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 to study the effect of band application of herbicides in combination with mulching or hoeing on weed control in sugarcane. The experiment was investigated in randomized complete block design with twelve weed control treatments which comprised of weedy check, mulching @ 6 t ha⁻¹, hand-hoeings at 45, 75 and 105 DAP (days after planting), metribuzin (blanket) 1400 g ha⁻¹ as pre-emergence (PE), metribuzin (band) 560 g ha⁻¹ followed by (fb) mulching @ 6 t ha⁻¹, metribuzin (band) 560 g ha⁻¹ fb three hand-hoeings, sulfentrazone + clomazone (blanket) 700 + 750 g ha⁻¹ as PE, sulfentrazone + clomazone (band) 280 + 300 g ha⁻¹ fb mulching @ 6 t ha⁻¹, sulfentrazone + clomazone (band) 280 + 300 g ha⁻¹ fb three hand-hoeings, metribuzin 1050 g ha⁻¹ + tembotrione 115.5 g ha⁻¹ (blanket) as post-emergence (POE), mulching @ 6 t ha⁻¹ fb metribuzin 420 g ha⁻¹ + tembotrione 46.5 g ha⁻¹ (band), metribuzin 420 g ha⁻¹ + tembotrione 46.5 g ha⁻¹ (band) with three hand-hoeings. Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Echinochloa colona, Cyperus rotundus, Digera arvensis and Convolvulus arvensis were the major weeds in the experimental crop. Pre-emergence band application of sulfentrazone + clomazone 280 + 300 g ha⁻¹ fb mulching @ 6 t ha⁻¹ was highly effective against the grasses, the only sedge and broad-leaf weeds followed by metribuzin 560 g ha⁻¹ with mulching @ 6 t ha⁻¹. Cane yield was the highest (92.4 t ha⁻¹) in sulfentrazone + clomazone (band) 280 + 300 g ha⁻¹ fb mulching @ 6 t ha⁻¹ with the highest net returns and B:C ratio. Higher cane yield in band application of sulfentrazone + clomazone 280 + 300 g ha⁻¹ fb mulching might be attributed to higher tiller population (137.0 thousand per ha), cane length, cane girth, single cane weight (978.8 g) and number of millable canes (96.4 thousand per ha) due to better weed control.