Effect of mulching, herbicides and hand hoeing on seedling growth and weed population in jujube nursery

Experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of pre- and post-emergence herbicides and organic and plastic mulches to control weeds in jujube (Zizyphus mauritiana) nursery. Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) was the major monocot weed (67.9%), followed by wiregrass Eleusine indica (18.2%), love grass, Eragrostis tenella (8.2%) and bermuda grass, Cynadon dactylon (5.8%). Among the dicot weeds, puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris) was the major weed (88.1%), followed by 10.3% in case of pigweed (Amaranthus viridis). All the herbicidal treatments hampered jujube seed germination. Pendimethalin resulted in highest inhibition of jujube seed germination. Paraquat resulted in poor seed germination as compared to glyphosate treatments. Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl delayed germination, led to plants with lesser plant girth and reduced proportion of buddable plants. The highest proportion of buddable plants (85.9%) was obtained with straw mulch which did not differ significantly from proportion of buddable plants recorded with weed mulch, black polythene mulch and weed free check. Paraquat treatments resulted in lesser number of buddable plants as compared to glyphosate. At all the intervals, highest weed control efficiency was obtained with straw mulch which did not differ significantly from the weed control efficiency obtained with weed mulch. Among the herbicidal treatments, double application (10 and 60 DAS) of glyphosate resulted in the best control of monocot as well as dicot weeds.