Effect of integrated weed management practices on growth characters of jute (Corchorus olitorius)

Introduction

Jute fiber, scientifically classified as Corchorus olitorius L., is widely recognized as the "golden fiber" due to its exceptional versatility and eco-friendly properties. This annual, short-day herbaceous plant primarily yields its fiber from two cultivated species within the Corchorus genus: Corchorus capsularis L., known as white jute, and Corchorus olitorius L., or tossa jute. Belonging to the Malvaceae family, jute is not only a significant agricultural commodity but also an integral component of the textile and packaging industries, demonstrating an increasing global demand. Jute production is predominantly concentrated in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in India and Bangladesh, which together account for over 60% of the world's jute output (Singh et al., 2018) [8] . As of recent estimates, India has cultivated jute across 6.6 lakh hectares, yielding approximately 1.7 million tonnes, primarily in the eastern and northern states of West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, and parts of Uttar Pradesh. West Bengal stands out as the largest contributor, responsible for over 80% of India's jute acreage and production. Despite its potential, jute cultivation faces significant challenges, notably from weed infestations, which can drastically reduce yields as much as 75% in some cases (Ghorai, 2008) [3] . The presence of competitive weeds, particularly during the initial growth stages of jute, hinders growth and reduces fiber quality. Conventional manual weeding is effective, constitutes a substantial portion approximately 40% of the total cost of jute cultivation. To combat these challenges, there is an urgent need to implement integrated weed management (IWM) practices that combine the use of chemical herbicides with cultural techniques. Such an approach has shown promise in enhancing crop yield while reducing production costs, ultimately supporting the sustainability of jute farming (Hossain et al., 1983) [2] . This study aims to explore the efficacy of various IWM strategies, including the application of pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides alongside manual weeding techniques, to improve the growth of jute. The current investigation titled "Integrated Weed Management in Jute (Corchorus olitorius)" will address the utmost need for effective weed management strategies in jute cultivation.

The study will contribute to optimizing agricultural practices in jute production, thereby enhancing productivity and economic returns for farmers in the region.

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted kharif season of 2023-24 undertaken at Subtropical conditions of Central Demonstration Farm (CDF) Wanirambhapur, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola situated at 22 O 42 North latitude and 77 O 02 East longitude and altitude of 307.4 m above the sea level. Soil of experimental plot was clayey in texture and slightly alkaline in nature with low in available Nitrogen (216 kg/ha), moderate in phosphorus (14.50 kg/ha) and very high in potash (338.35 kg/ha). The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design, with eight treatments and three replications. The treatments comprised of Pendimethalin 38 EC (PE) @ 1.5 kg a.i. ha -1 fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS (T 1 ), Butachlor 50 EC (PE) @ 1.0 kg a.i. ha -1 fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS (T 2 ) Pretilachlor 50 EC (PE) @ 0.60 kg a.i. ha -1 fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS (T 3 ), Metolachlor 50 EC (PE) @ 0.50 kg a.i. ha -1 fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS (T 4 ) Propaquizafop 10% EC (POE) @ 0.50 kg a.i. ha -1 at 15-20 DAS fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS (T 5 ) Quizalofop ethyl 5% (POE) @ 0.50 kg a.i. ha -1 at 15-20 DAS fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS (T 6 ), Farmer practices 2 weeding and 2 hoeing 15-20 and 30-35 DAS (T 7 ). and Weedy check (T 8 ) respectively. The Gross size of experimental plot was 5.40×5.40 m and Jute cultivar 'JRO-524' was sown with spacing of 45 x 10 cm 2 apart. Jute crop was fertilized with basel dose of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium @ 80:40:40 NPK Kg ha -1 . Seed of JRO 524 was sown @ 5 kg ha -1 on 17 th July of 2023 after receiving sufficient amount of precipitation. Herbicides as per treatments were applied using 300 litres of water/ha with a flat fan nozzle attached in a high-volume knapsack sprayer immediately within 24 hrs after sowing. Weed samples were collected periodically with 1×1 m 2 quadrate from all the treatments, dried in shade and then were oven dried at 65 ± 5 °C and the weed dry matter accumulation was expressed in g/m 2 . Data on growth parameters such as plant height was recorded from ten plants randomly selected from second row of each plot at the time of harvest. Harvesting of jute crop was done on 6 th November 2023, respectively. The data on plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant, leaf area per plant, Leaf Area Index, dry matter accumulation per plant, weed density and weed dry matter accumulation of jute were analysed statistically using ANOVA.

Results and Discussion

Weed flora

The predominant weed flora observed in experiment field were viz., Cyperus rotundus L., Cynodon dactylon, Commelina benghalensis, Parthenium hysterophorus, Alternanthera triandra L., Euphorbia geniculate, Phyllanthus niruri L., Xanthium strumarium L., Tridax procumbens etc

The plant height of jute crop was significantly influenced due to different integrated weed management practices at 40 DAS, 60 DAS, 80 DAS and at harvest except at 20 DAS it was found non-significant. The maximum plant height of jute was recorded in the treatment T 7 (46.50) and it was found at par with T 1 Pendimethalin 38 EC (PE) @ 1.5 kg a.i. ha -1 fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS, T 6 Quizalofop ethyl 5% (POE) @ 0.50 kg a.i. ha -1 at 15-20 DAS fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS,T 5 Propaquizafop 10% EC (POE) @ 0.50 kg a.i. ha -1 at 15-20 DAS fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS,T 3 Pretilachlor 50 EC (PE) @ 0.60 kg a.i. ha -1 fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS treatment. The treatment T 8 (weedy check) recorded minimum plant height (37.22) at 40 DAS. Similar trends with recorded to plant height was observed at 60 DAS, 80 DAS and at harvest of jute crop under integrated weed management practices (IWMP). This result is in agreement with Singh et al. (2015) [7] and Sign et al. (2018) [8] . [1] .

Number of branches plant -1

The integrated weed management practices (IWMP) had significant effect on number of branches plant (Watson 1952, 1963). The rate of dry matter production consists of LAI, appears to be more related to yield (Tsuno, 1971).

The status of dry matter accumulation of jute per plant. All the weed management methods produced significantly higher amount of dry matter compared to weedy check. At 20 DAS higher dry matter accumulation (2.40 g/m -2 ) recorded with T 1 . However, higher dry matter (53.98 g/m -2 ) recorded with hand weeding and hoeing twice (20 and 40 DAE) at harvest, followed by T 1 with the value 49.49 g/m -2 . After 40 days stem dry weight was increased rapidly and maintained higher dry weight since senescence of the jute. This result tunes with Hoossain et al., (1983) [2] , Talukder (1992) [9] and Talukder et al. (2001) [10] . [6,5] . Jena et al. (2017) [4] also reported that the combination of either a pre-emergence or post-emergence herbicide application along with a single round of manual weeding proved to be a successful strategy for effectively managing all types of weeds.

The total dry weight of weed as influenced by different integrated weed management treatments in jute at different growth stages differed significantly are presented in [4] wherein it was observed that quizalofop-ethyl fb hand-weeding showed better control on weeds than the pre-emergence herbicides treatments.

Conclusion

Among the different integrated weed management practices the farmer practices (2 weeding and 2 hoeing at 15-20 and 30-35 DAS) recorded significant growth characters and it was found at par with pre emergence weedicide spray of Pendimethalin 38 EC (PE) @ 1.5 kg a.i. ha -1 fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS and post emergence weedicide spray of Quizalofop ethyl 5% (POE) @ 0.50 kg a.i. ha -1 at 15-20 DAS fb 1 HW at 35-40 DAS for effective control of weeds in jute that resulted into significant improvement in growth attributes than weedy check treatment.

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