Integrated Use of Herbicides and Mulching for Sustainable Control of Purple Nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus ) in a Tomato Crop

Rouzbeh Zangoueinejad, Behnaz Sirooeinejad, Mohammad Taghi Alebrahim and Ali Ahsan Bajwa ()
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Rouzbeh Zangoueinejad: Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil 56199-11367, Iran
Behnaz Sirooeinejad: Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Tehran, Karaj 14179-35840, Iran
Mohammad Taghi Alebrahim: Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil 56199-11367, Iran
Ali Ahsan Bajwa: Weed Research Unit, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: Purple nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus L.) is a problematic weed in tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum L.) crops causing significant yield losses. Although several chemical options are available for this weed, the level of control is often unsatisfactory, and the consistent use of herbicides has a risk of resistance evolution. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of two herbicide options, halosulfuron and fomesafen + S -metolachlor, alone or integrated with natural and plastic mulches in controlling purple nutsedge in tomato crops in a three-year field study. The use of herbicides or mulches alone did not provide effective weed control (below 65%). However, the combination of natural mulch and fomesafen + S -metolachlor provided the most effective weed control by reducing the density and biomass of purple nutsedge by up to 83% and 81%, respectively, as compared with the season-long untreated control. The use of a natural mulch in combination with the herbicides halosulfuron or fomesafen + S -metolachlor also resulted in the highest tomato yield (ca. 3.3 kg per plant). This integrated treatment improved tomato yield by over 400% as compared with the season-long untreated control. The integrated use of a plastic mulch and two chemical options resulted in a 67–74% weed biomass reduction and a 332–368% yield increase over the season-long untreated control. These findings suggest that the combinations of herbicides and mulches are effective integrated weed management options for purple nutsedge in tomato crops.

Keywords: integrated weed management; mulching; fomesafen + S -metolachlor; halosulfuron (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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