Assessment of Weed Management Strategies on Growth and Yield of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Ghana
Quee, Dan David; Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), Njala Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Freetown, P.O Box 540, Sierra Leone (Creator), Sarkodie-Addo, Joseph; Crop and Soil Sciences Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Kumasi, Ghana (Creator), Conteh, Abdul Rahman; Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), Njala Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Freetown, P.O Box 540, Sierra Leone (Creator), Tarawali, Abdul Rahman; Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), Njala Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Freetown, P.O Box 540, Sierra Leone (Creator)
A 6 X 2 factorial experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design replicated four times was conducted in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana, to assess the effect of various weed management strategies on cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) growth and yield. The treatments were two varieties of cassava:- Ampong (Early branching) and Dokuduade (late branching) and six weed control methods which were two pre-emergence herbicides (Butachlor and Terbulor at 4l/ha + 2 hoe-weedings), three-times manual hoe-weeding, three-times manual cutlass-weeding, weed-free (weeding every forth night using hand hoe) and weedy check treatments. The predominant weed species were Tridax procumbens, Mimosa pudica, Euphorbia heterophylla, Croton hirtus, Spigellia anthelmia, Digitaria ciliaris, Centrocema pubescens, Brachiaria deflexa and Panicum maximum. The early branching habit of Ampong variety had significant effect on weed control and consequently produced significantly more growth and tuber yield than the late branching Dokuduade variety. Among the weed control treatments, Terbulor (4l/ha) + 2 hoe-weeding treatment had significantly higher effect on weed control which resulted in over 91% of root tuber yield than other weed management strategies evaluated. Thus, the application of Terbulor (4l/ha) + 2 hoe-weeding is recommended as the most effective strategy for weed control in cassava fields.
Downloadable Archival Material, English, 2016-01-21
Global Society of Scientific Research and Researchers, 2016-01-21