HOW WE CAN CONTROL WEEDS AND AVOID DESTROYING CULTIVATION.

in #farms5 years ago (edited)


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Hello friend of the farm is this opportunity I am going to talk about the so-called "weeds" or "weeds" which are plants that the farmer does not want in his crop. The reason is that they limit the growth and production of the same, competing for the necessary resources. Although there are different tools available for the suppression of weeds, they have to be used together, so that they work effectively. Weed control consists exactly in keeping the cassava crop free from the competition of weeds or weeds, because, in the initial stage, cassava is vulnerable to competition from weeds, due to slow growth. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out the control during the first 3 to 4 months after sowing.
Weeds are unwanted plants in crops that limit their growth and development. The control of weeds can be cultural, that is, with tools such as machete or equipment such as scythes, can be chemical by applying herbicides and can be biological through practices such as the use of insects that cause damage to them.


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THE MALEZA COMPETES WITH THE PLANTS BY GROWTH FACTORS THAT ARE:
Light, water and mineral elements of the soil that the plants need to grow. In the early stages, the cassava plant has little capacity to take advantage of these factors, and they are easily relegated by weeds that, contrarily, are characterized by their great efficiency and ability to take advantage of the growth factors for their development.
The yield of cassava can be significantly increased if weed competition is avoided during the first 3 to 4 months of age. Under these conditions, leaf production is rapid. It is important to remember that, in the first 2 months, the plant emits all the roots and the thickening begins which practically defines the percentage of roots that will be harvested in the future and, if at this stage it suffers attack or weed competition, the Reduction of the number of roots is usually considerable; no matter how much cleaning is carried out later, the number of roots harvested is no longer recovered.

At the level of the small producer that grows between ½ and 1 hectare, the most advisable is manual control (carpida), considering the availability of family labor.
For commercial scale cultivation of more than 2 hectares, there is an alternative to chemical control, which consists of the use of herbicides. Pre-emergent weed herbicides and selective to the crop are recommended. The selection of herbicides should be made according to the predominance of weed species in the field, be it grass or broadleaf or broadleaf species. In practice, they are always together.

HOW TO IDENTIFY WEEDS
When weeds are being controlled by hoeing or mechanical cultivation, specific identification is not important. But when chemical control is being used, the farmer and the extension worker should have a good idea of ​​which specific weeds are present, since the herbicides do not produce a broad spectrum effect.


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An example of an annual deciduous weed; it reproduces by seed.

THE CEBOLLETA (CYPERUS ESCULENTUS)


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An example of a sedge-type weed. The main stems of the Juncias are triangular. This particular type reproduces seed and by underground "nuts" that sprout new plants.

THE GRASS BERMUDA, THE ZACATE BERMUDA (CYNODON DACTYLON)


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An example of a grassy weed type weed; the reproduction is by means of corridors at ground level that are called stolons and also by means of seeds.


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TYPES OF WEEDS
There are two types of weeds. The aggressive ones that are high, of abundant roots and of difficult control and fast growth. As an example we have gramalote, cortadera, escobadura, coquito among others.
Aggressive weeds affect the production of crops in quality and quantity, hinder the work, remove nutrients from the crop, shelter from pests and diseases.
"Noble" weeds do not compete with the crop, they protect the soil from erosion and favor the storage of moisture of low competition are of low or creeping, weak roots and superficial. They do not mean great competition for the crop. As an example we have the evergreens, swallows, toadstools and botoncillo among others.
While a weed does not compete with the crop, it has advantages such as the prevention of erosion by protecting the soil, retaining moisture, providing nutrients and organic matter to the soil, and helping biodiversity.
In permanent crops, aggressive weeds should be avoided and the noble ones should only be eliminated in the tree dishes, allowing them to thrive in the streets. This practice, in addition to being beneficial for the soil, reduces the costs of control and weeds.
Aggressive weeds affect the production of crops in quality and quantity, hinder the work, remove nutrients from the crop, shelter from pests and diseases
Permanent crops are very susceptible to damage by weeds mainly in their early stages. In short-cycle crops, weeds are avoided at all times as there is no time to implement mulches that do not compete with planting.
The weeds are controlled manually (with tools such as the machete), mechanically (with equipment such as the scythe) and chemically (with herbicides). Generally, these methods are combined with a tendency not to strip the soil so as not to leave it unprotected and susceptible to erosion.
Weeding must be timely, appropriate and frequent.
In principle, in a weedy terrain, we start with a control of weeds by using a scythe and whose cutting is done at ground level. This work is called by the farmers "besito de tierra".
After two to three weeks, according to the area, in the re-growth of weeds, the most aggressive ones emerge first and these are made a localized chemical control. Then it is allowed to grow again to a height of about 10 centimeters and again it is scythe and the operation is repeated.
With the realization of these practices, the establishment of noble weeds is promoted that will constitute the permanent cover of the soil and which will require an ever lesser control of the aggressive weeds.


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WEEDS AFFECT THE PLANTS IN VARIOUS FORMS:
• They compete with the crop for water, sun, and nutrients.
• They harbor insects, and some are host to diseases (especially virases).
• Large weed infestations can interfere with harvesting by machine.
• Weeds such as the grass ("the grass of the north") are parasites and cause the crop to yellow, wilt, and lose strength.
The relative competitive ability of the reference crops: Crops that start their growth slowly, such as peanuts, millet, and sorghum, can not compete with the weeds during the first weeks of growth. Low growth crops such as peanuts, dwarf beans, and dwarf cow peas, on the other hand, are quite effective at suppressing weed growth when they reach sufficient height to shade the spaces between rows. In spite of this, tall weeds that were not adequately controlled at first may be won over to these "low" crops if they are allowed to continue to grow.


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CHARACTERISTICS ABOUT BAD HERBS
Deciduous weeds against grasses
Deciduous weeds have broad leaves (large or oval) with veins that form a design like feathers.
Weeds (grass-like weeds) are true grasses and have long, narrow leaves with parallel veins. A few weeds such as coquito (chives) do not belong to any of these categories, but are sedges, all of which have triangular stems. Some chemical herbicides are more effective on deciduous weeds, while others serve better to control weeds.
The Way in which the Malea Herbs are Reproduced and Irrigated:
The Annual Plants against the Vivaces
Annual weeds live only one year and reproduce by means of seeds; they are the most common in most fields. In the tropics, annuals can live more than a year if there is enough rain. Most of the annual weeds produce a large amount of seeds, some of which do not germinate until years later. When the soils move with a hoe, a step, or weevil to kill the weeds, a crop of them is destroyed, but even more weed seeds are moved to the surface where they can germinate.
Annual weeds should be controlled before they produce seeds. Even so, the complete eradication of the annuals is not possible because most fields contain millions of ungrouped seeds and the supply grows continuously with more seeds introduced by wind, water, animals, manure, and contaminated seeds of crops.

THE METHODS OF WEED CONTROL


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THE BURN
When the land is cleared by burning, the annual weeds are killed along with the seeds that are near the surface. In contrast, the burn does not kill the seeds of the weeds or the reproductive parts of the perennial weeds if they are deeper than 4-5 cm. In addition, as the brush is gathered in cambas or piled up before being burned, the great part of the ground is not affected by the fire. Some tropical perennial grasses such as Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) and twisted grass (Imperata cylindrica) are effectively stimulated by fire to re-establish a denser growth. On the other hand, weeds can be a lesser problem under shifting cultivation because the soil is not plowed and the weed seeds are not moved to the surface.


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ORGANIC COVERAGE
Covering the soil with a 5-10 cm layer of crop residues, dead weeds, or grass can create very effective weed control and provide several other benefits:
• Erosion is reduced in inclined soils.
• The loss of water from the soil due to evaporation and drainage is reduced.
• In very hot areas, soil temperatures are lowered to a level more beneficial to crop growth.
• Organic matter is added to the soil.
In tests conducted by the IIAT in Nigeria, the use of mulch increased maize yields by 23-45 percent and reduced the amount of labor needed for manual cultivation, which makes up 50-70 percent of the hours required for the cultivation of corn in that area.


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THE SHADOW (THE PRINCIPLE OF CROPS IN ROWS)
The planting of rows crops facilitates manual control of weeds, but also makes possible the mechanical cultivation with animal traction or tractor equipment. In addition, the rows allow the crop to make better shade competition against weeds.


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LABRANZA WITH AZADA AND MACHETE
Weed control with hand tools is an effective method if there is sufficient labor. It is common for farmers who use this method to fall behind in this work and that yields suffer.


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LABRANZA WITH ANIMAL TRACTION AND TRACTOR EQUIPMENT
Disc harrows, cultivators (weeders), and bleachers can provide excellent pre-sowing weed control. Teeth stands can also be used to control weeds without damage to the crop until the crop reaches a height of 7,510 cm.
The animal traction and tractor weeders can be used since the crop is a few centimeters high. They are faster than manual control, and a single-row model of animal traction can cover 3-4 ha / day with ease, if the rows are not very narrow. They can also be adjusted to pull the soil into the row to cover and kill small weeds. However, if they are operated very deeply or very close to the row, they can prune the roots (cut the roots of the crops between the rows).


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THE HERBICIDES
Herbicides can reduce the work of farmers and allow the cultivation of more land. They also prevent the pruning of the roots, the compaction (tamping) of the soil, and the reduction of the population that is caused by hand-held equipment or mechanical equipment. In several cases, herbicides such as atrazine have been competitive with labor in maize production in developing countries. Improved methods are being developed for the use of herbicides by the small farmer such as granular and very low volume forms.

CONCLUSION
It is important to remind farmers that the use of herbicides should always be accompanied by the guidance of a technician, because a good product for a given case with a failure in the application may have no control over the weed and generally has a significant cost .

SOURCE:
http://www.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/HC270799/HDL/spanish/pc/m0035s/m0035s0m.htm
http://www.fincaycampo.com/2014/06/control-de-malezas/
https://www.hortalizas.com/miscelaneos/cultivos-de-cobertura-una-estrategia-eficaz-de-control-malezas-en-producciones-organicas/2/
http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-rural/control-de-malezas-1163718.html
We hope that weed control has been very useful for you.
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