Control of Weed Biomass With Use of Herbicide and Inter-row Cultivation in Canola.

CONTROL OF WEED BIOMASS WITH USE OF HERBICIDE AND INTER- ROWCULTIVATION IN CANOLA.
 Lekhanath Paudel and U. R. Bishnoi. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A & M University, Normal, Al 35762

 Like winter wheat, canola (Brassica napus L.) has potential to become an important  oilseed crop in north Alabama/southeastern United States. However, weeds are one of the major canola production problems  causing yield loss up to 50 percent.  Since there is no research based weed control recommendation to produce winter canola in North Alabama we conducted three field experiments, two as RCBD and third as a RCBD in factorial arrangement, each with treatmentsf replicated four times during 2005-06 and 2006-07 growing season. The effect of three dates of  inter-rowcultivation, three herbicides application timings and their interactions on weed biomass and canola yield were evaluated. Research results showed that trifluralin applied as pre-emergence@1 lit ai /ha produced 1966 Kg/ha less weed biomass and 663 Kg/ha higher canola yield than weedy plots. Inter-rowcultivation in mid March resulted in 1926 Kg/ha less weed biomass and 695 Kg/ha higher seed yield than weedy plots. Trifluralin at 1 lit ai/ha in combination with inter-rowcultivation in mid march produced 1083 Kg/ha less weed biomass resulting in a 187% and 59% higher yield of canola in 2005-06 and in 2006-07 than weedy plots. These results concluded that, pre-emergence application of trifluralin @1 lit. ai/ha alone and or in combination with mid March inter-row cultivation can result in a significant reduction in weed biomass and increase in canola seed yield.