Email:
drbhagwati@gmail.com
Address:
Division of Agronomy, SKUAST-J, FOA-Main Campus Chatha, Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir)
Tiger grass, Manual eradication, Grubbing, Herbicide, Grasses
A field experiment was conducted to study the efficiency of different weed management interventions in improving the carrying capacity of tiger grass (Saccharum spontaneum L.) infested pastures existing on riverbed deposits during 2002-03 to 2004-05 with nine treatment combinations comprising of manual eradication, glyphosate application 0.75 and 1.0% and agrostological interventions with 3 grass species in a randomized complete block design with three replications. After three years of treatment imposition, it was found that the application of either 0.75 or 1.0% glyphosate followed by planting either of napier hybrid (NB-21) or Cenchrus ciliaris was found equally effective in establishing a good grass cover as compared to Setaria as well as in smothering the regenerated growth of Saccharum plants resulting in reduction of its fresh biomass to 9.02-13.0 q/ha i.e. less by 90-94% as compared to its initial biomass of 116 q/ha which in turn was statistically similar to manual eradication of this weed. However, the application of glyphosate 0.75% on the regenerated growth of spring shaven Saccharum just before rainy season followed by planting of napier cuttings or Cenchrus ciliaris Rooted slips was found to be economically better with a net saving of Rs 500 and Rs 13970 over all the other similar treatment combinations of 1% glyphosate as well as manual eradication, respectively, besides a sizeable enhancement in forage yield.