Reducing herbicide use with agronomic practices in onion (Allium cepa L.) grown after rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

Studies to evaluate the effect of various agronomic practices on weed growth and on yields were conducted in Nueva Ecija during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 dry seasons in farmers' fields grown to transplanted bulb onion (Allium cepa L.) or shallot (Allium cepa L. var. ascalonicum), after rice (Oryza sativa L). Treatments ranged from a single cultural practice (mulching, tillage, burning rice hull, handweeding) to a maximum of two herbicide applications plus two handweedings. Regardless of crop, one herbicide plus one handweeding controlled weeds and resulted in a comparable yield as those of crops with two herbicides and two handweedings. One herbicide plus one handweeding also reduced total production costs by 15 to 70% without reducing weed control efficacy or crop yield. Mulching and burning rice hull on the field before planting also suppressed weed growth and reduced the amount of labor needed for manual weeding, or the number of herbicide applications, to a minimum. Although two handweedings gave the highest yield, the practice was more expensive than one herbicide plus one handweeding when weed pressures were high. These results indicate that weeds can be adequately suppressed with a minimum of chemical inputs combined with cultural inputs in integrated approaches to managing weeds in rice-onion systems.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Agricultural Scientist

ISSN

317454

Page

34-44

Document Type

Article

Subject

Agronomic practices, Herbicides, Rice-onion systems, Weed control

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