WEED MANAGEMENT IN GROUNDNUT (ARACHIS HYPOGAEA L.) IN INDIA - A REVIEW

Abstract

Groundnut crop is highly susceptible to weed infestation because of its slow growth in the initial stages upto 40 days, short plant height and under ground pod bearing habit. Groundnutweeds comprise diverse plant species from grasses to broad-leaf weeds and sedges, and cause substantial yield losses (15-75%) which are more in rainfed Spanish bunch type than in irrigated Virginia type groundnut. Besides this, weeds are preferred host of several insect-pests, and the vectors of many important organisms causing diseases in groundnut. Weeds also affect groundnut through the production of harmful allelochemicals. Thus, weed control is the foremost critical production factor in groundnut cultivation and in this review, various physical, chemical, mechanical and cultural methods that curtail the growth and spread of weeds have been discussed. Herbicides were found to be selective in controlling many weeds in monocropping as well as in cropping systems. Herbicides, though, selective, efficient and cost effective weed control measure in controlling weeds in groundnut, the maximum benefit can be achieved by combining herbicides with manual, cultural and mechanical weed control methods. These methods of weed control also vary with the groundnut growing situation and the cropping systems. In this review, an effort was made to compile the information on feasible weed management practices for groundnut in India and the future strategies to very simple, cheap, effective, and environmentally safe integrated approaches.