STALE SEEDBED TECHNIQUE OF WEED MANAGEMENT: A REVIEW

S. SANBAGAVALLI¹*, E. SOMASUNDARAM², S. MARIMUTHU³, RAMESH CHELVI^4
1Department of Pulses, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
²Department of Sustainable Organic Agriculture, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
³Department of Agronomy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
⁴Cotton Research Station, Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
* Corresponding Author : sanbagavallitnau@gmail.com

Received : 01-12-2016     Accepted : 14-12-2016     Published : 18-12-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 61       Pages : 3490 - 3493
Int J Agr Sci 8.61 (2016):3490-3493

Keywords : Stale seedbed, Weed Control, Tillage, Herbicide
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : None declared

Weeds are the greatest menace in agriculture, which reduces the yield of crop by 10-90 per cent. Weeds are dangerous not only because of their competition for inputs, but also due to their survival capacity as per the old saying “one year seedling seven year weeding”. The worst annual species are those having a high seed production and/or those producing seeds over a prolonged period of time. To reduce weed pressure it is important to prevent inflow of weed seeds from the environment. In stale seedbed land management practice, the weeds are stimulated to emerge and controlled by various measures prior to cropping. A key component of a well prepared stale seedbed is the absence of weeds at sowing, as well as uncontrolled weeds at sowing/planting have the potential to significantly impair stand establishment and crop yields. Often, many weed seeds in germination zone germinate and emerge before sowing thereby weed population is reduced during the cropping season. Stale seedbed (SSB) can be done between harvest and sowing and emerged weeds were controlled by tillage or foliar application of non-selective herbicides. Adoption of shallow tillage to kill emerged weeds in SSB method of weed control could result in a rapid depletion of the weed seed bank. Tillage helps to control weeds by killing the emerging seedlings, burying seeds, delaying growth of perennials and providing a clean uniform surface for efficient action of herbicides. However, weed populations could be reduced by utilising stale seedbed preparation to provide a less competitive environment for crops during earlier growth stages.