INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT IN SUGARCANE (SACCHARUM-OFFICINARUM)

A field experiment was conducted during 1990-92 at Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, to find out the effective weed-management pract ice that would keep the sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) field wee d free throughout the growing season of the crop. Integrated managemen t practices were compared with chemical and conventional methods of we ed control. Integrated weed-management practices involving pre-emergen ce application of atrazine (1.0 or 2.0 kg ai/ha) or metribuzin (1.0 kg ai/ha) in combination with hoeing and weeding at 60 days or trash mul ching after final earthing up at 90 days gave effective control of wee ds both in the early and late stages of crop growth with higher cane a nd sugar yields. However, pre-emergence application of atrazine @ 1.0 kg ai/ha followed by trash mulching at 90 days was found most efficien t and economical. None of the weed-control treatments affected the jui ce quality significantly.