Integrated weed management in turmeric

Ten weed control treatments viz. metribuzin (700 g/ha) or pendimethalin (1000 g/ha) each followed by (fb) hoeing twice; metribuzin (700 g/ha), pendimethalin (1000 g/ha) or atrazine (750 g/ha) each followed by i) fenoxaprop (670 g/ha) + metsulfuron-methyl (4 g/ha) or ii) straw mulch fb hoeing; weed free (hand weeding thrice) and weedy check] were evaluated for weed control in turmeric on a silty clay loam soil at Palampur during 2012 and 2013. Treatment constituting of fenoxaprop + metsulfuron-methyl were phytotoxic. Pendimethalin fb hoeing and pendimethalin/metribuzin/atrazine fb mulch fb hoeing were comparable to weed free in reducing population of Echinochloa colona, Digitaria sanguinalis, Panicum dicotomiflorum, Cyperus iria and Aeschynomene indica. Metribuzin fb mulch fb hoeing significantly reduced the count of Ageratum conyzoides and Galinsoga parviflora upto 60 DAS. Metribuzin/pendimethalin fb hoeing and pendimethalin/metribuzin/atrazine fb mulch fb hoeing resulted in significantly higher plant height, leaves per plant, number of shoots per plant, plant dry matter accumulation, rhizome weightperplant and fresh rhizome yield over other treatments. Atrazine/pendimethalin/metribuzin fb mulch fb hoeing increased fresh rhizome yield by 1.54–1.68 times over weed free. Metribuzin fb mulch fb hoeing resulted in highest gross and net returns due to weed control. Marginal benefit cost ratio (MBCR) was highest under pendimethalin fb mulch fb hoeing (54.67) followed by atrazine fb mulch fb hoeing (50.73), metribuzin fb mulch fb hoeing (46.2) and pendimethalin fb hoeing (24.86). Weeds in weedy check reduced rhizome yield by 78.2% over metribuzin fb mulch fb hoeing.