Critical Period for Weed Removal in Garden Egg (Solanum Incanum)

Field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo during the 2004 and 2005 cropping seasons to determine the extent of yield loss due to weed infestation and the critical time for weed removal in garden egg (Solanum incanum). The experiment which was arranged in randomized complete block design and replicated three times consisted of two series of weed removal treatments. In the first series, plots were kept weed free of weeds by hand weeding for, 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks after transplanting, thereafter left weedy till harvest while in the second series weeds were allowed to infest the plots for 3, 6 , 9 and 12 weeks after transplanting, then kept weedy till harvest, control plots were either kept weed free or left weedy till harvest. Uncontrolled weed infestation resulted to an average yield loss of 87.13% in two years . Keeping the crop weed infested beyond the first 6-12 weeks after transplanting was not significantly different from not weeding at all till harvest. On the other hand, keeping the crop weed free by hand weeding for the first 12 weeks after transplanting was similar to keeping it weed free for any length of time beyond this period. The critical period of weed removal was observed to be 3-6 weeks from transplanting.