Integrated weed management in ratooned sugarcane

A field experiment was conducted during the main season of 1999–2001 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, to find out the economical and effective integrated weed-management practice to control the weeds in ratooned (‘Co 86032’) sugarcane. The use of pre-emergence herbicides did not have any adverse effects on the ratoon sproutings. Various integrated weed-management practices were compared with chemical and cultural methods of weed control. All the integrated weed-control practices proved effective in controlling the weed growth and increasing the cane and sugar yields compared with use of herbicides alone, and were found on par with conventional method of 2 hand-weedings at 30 and 60 days after ratoon initiation. Pre-emergence application of atrazine at 2.00 kg a.i./ha combined with 1 hand-weeding at 45 days or conventional method of 2 hand-weedings at 30 and 60 days were found more effective and economical. None of the weed-control treatments affected the juice quality significantly.