Weed management in guava orchards

The comparative efficacy of orchard soil management practices like mulching (paddy straw, white polythene, black polythene) and weed control methods (mechanical and chemical) were evaluated for managing weeds growth in guava orchard. A weedy plot was also kept as control for comparative assessment of different orchard floor management practices. The results revealed a significant effect of different treatments on grassy as well as broad-leaf weeds in the orchard. Although the black polythene mulch kept the area weed free throughout the season, the paddy straw mulch exhibited promising results, with 69.1 and 93.2% reduction in total weed biomass during first and second year of application, respectively. The white polythene was poor performer as it resulted in heavy weed growth under the mulch and tearing of polythene sheet. Chemical weed management as well as mechanical weeding also reduced the intensity of weeds but resurgence of weeds resulted significantly higher weed biomass compared to paddy straw mulch. The paddy straw mulch exhibited potential to manage weeds in guava orchard.