Introduction

• Nursery weeds are unwanted plants in a nursery which reduce

availability of moisture, nutrients, sunlight and growing space to

the seedlings.

• Weeds reduce crop growth, quality and yield. They make uprooting

and transplanting difficult. Weeds also act as alternative hosts to

pests and diseases affecting nursery seedlings.

• Weeds are difficult to mange as they grow and produce enormous

and hardy reproductive structures like seeds.

• Integrated, combined and coordinated effort should be made in

order to manage weeds in a nursery. Weed control involves

cultural, mechanical and chemical methods of reducing weeds.

Effect of Weeds on Nursery

Weed population reduce crop yield by competing for water, light, soil

nutrients, and space. The combined effects of weeds are:

• Reduced seedling quality by contamination of weeds in nursery.

• Interference during uprooting and transplantation of seedlings.

• Serve as hosts for various crop pest and diseases.

• Production of chemical substances which are toxic to nursery

plants.

Characteristics of Nursery Weeds

Specific characteristics of weeds make them hardy and helps their long

survival under unfavorable conditions:

• Genetic ability to produce abundant seed s and propagating units.

• Long term seed dormancy, long term seed survival and wide spread distribution and establishing ability.

• Adaptation in wide ecological and climatic conditions for survival in unfavorable growing conditions.

There are nearly 300000 plant species on the earth, out of which nearly

3 % plants (9000 plants species) acts as weeds.

Weed Management in Tomato Nursery

• Tomato seedlings require regular and shallow hoeing during

their initial days in the field. The surface soil is loosened by

hand hoeing and weeds are removed by hand weeding.

• Mulching with straw or black polythene or many other

materials found beneficial in managing weeds, diseases and

improving the quality of seedlings produced.

• Proper preparation of land, sanitation, irrigation management,

balanced plant nutrient supply and crop rotation practices can

effectively reduce the weed population nursery.

Weeds in Tomato Nursery

Branched broomrape, (Orobanche ramosa)

Young dodder Cuscuta spp.Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon).

Common groundsel, Senecio vulgaris. Common purslane, Portulaca oleracea

Chemical Weed management in Tomato Nursery

Stages of Application Weedicide Dose Remarks

Preplanting surface application

AlachlorFluchloralinMetribuzinNitrofenOxadiazon

1.0-1.25 kg/ha1.25 kg/ha0.35 kg/ha1.0 kg/ha1.0 kg/ha

Applied before sowing seeds on the nursery beds.

Pre emergence (in direct seeded crop)

AlachlorMetribuzinBensulideDiphenamid

1-2 kg/ha0.2-0.35 kg/ha4-6 kg/ha4-6 kg/ha

Should not be used in glass houses and high pH soils. Also do not tank- mix fertilizers with it.

Post emergence Metribuzin 0.28-0.5 kg/ha Apply when the crop is in 4-6 leaf stage

Precautions while using Weedicides

Using chemical weedicides is a fast, effective, labor saving and

cheaper method of managing weeds in the tomato nursery.

However, weedicides must be used judiciously for profit

maximization. Following points must be considered during weedicide

use,

• Selection of proper weedicide based on application time and

method.

• Doses and method of application of weedicides as per

recommendations.

• Time and growth stages of crop considering environmental

conditions before application.