Sugarcane crop remains in the same field for 2-3 years. Cynodon dactylon and Cyperus rotundus are the main weed of sugarcane based cropping system. Kindly suggest any non chemical weed control measures for control of these weeds. Hoeing is generally recommended but regrowth take place within 2-3 days.
It has been suggested the geese be allowed to graze in areas when Cyperus rotundus is present. There are practical implications such that the land must be in fallow and that the area be rotatoed with the geese over time . The geese would remove the network of tubers of the Cyperus rotundus .
See the link:
Article Nutgrass Eradication Studies IV. Use of Chickens and Geese i...
In order to control difficult perennial grasses without the use of chemicals. You may want to employ combined techniques such as biofumigation and solarization. Brassica crops such as oil seed radish can be used as the source of biofumigation. The crop residues tilled into a raised bed would be covered to allow both isothiocyanate fumigation but also the generation of lethal temperatures in order to get these conditions some manure could be useful along with the mulch. When the soil temperatures have peaked out and subsided the mulch can be perforated for planting the cane pieces. The combination of biofumigation and mulching with solarization provides combination of lethal conditions for the perennial grasses. The oil seed radish should be grown intensively to get large biomass and the system requires raised bed preparation concentrating the residue and manures before the mulching . The temperature generation should be monitored and the cumulative temperatures useful for determining the best timing to initiate cane planting.
Allelopathic potential of mucuna deeringiana and cajanus cajan is pretty impressive. These legumes can also provide the Nitrogen requirement for your organic sugarcane in rotation. In central American the maize crop is interseeded with Mucuna at 40 days after planting and after the maize harvest the Mucuna maintains weed control and builds the soil. Cajanus cajan planted intensively will work to reduce these aggressive perennial grasses also.
Thanks Dr. Paul Reed for valuable information for weed management in organic sugarcane.
In plant sugarcane crop in situ trash mulching and Green Cane Trash Blanketing in ratoon crop are non chemical methods that can practically keep the cynodon and cyperus population under check.
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