Band or pocket application of N-fertilizer to cotton reduces the
nutrient availability for weed growth.
Sowing certified seed.
Adopt furrow method of irrigation.
Raising cotton in paired rows and utilising the interspace effectively
by cultivating intercrops like onion, greengram, bhendi etc., is found
useful not only to reduce the incidence of weeds but also to obtain
additional income per unit area.
Proper crop rotation is highly useful for control of perennial weeds
Mulching not only reduces weeds but also evaporation from soil.
Mechanical Control
Deep ploughings, digging and removal of rhizomes or stolons or perennial
weeds before sowing.
Periodical harrowings reduces weeds and evaporation losses of moisture.
Chemical Control
Pre-planting
Soil incorporation of Fluchloralin (Basalin) at 2.0 ltr/ha
as pre-sowing application upto 5cm deep is very useful to control
mostly annual grasses and some broad leaved weed.
Pre sowing application of Nitraline, Trifluralin, and Dinitramine
at 1.0 kg/ha each. Alachlor 5.0 kg/ha or Diuron 1.5 kg/ha is very effective.
For controlling Cyanodon, TCA at 5kg/ha as preplanting treatment
is best.
Pre - emergence
Pre emergence application of Fluomaturon 3.0 kg/ha or diuron
1.2 kg/ha is most effective.
Trifluralin 0.75 kg/ha and Nitralin 3kg/ha can control most grasses
and sorghum halopense.
Nitrofen 1.5 kg/ha as pre-emergence followed by MSMA at 5 lt/ha post-emergence
can give good weed control. Monuron at 1.5 kg/ha may be used on excessively
heavy soil.
Chloropropham at 6 kg/ha can safely be used in both heavy and light
soils as pre-emergence.
Post-emergence
MSMA and DEMA at 2.0 kg/ha as post emergence application can
control both annual and perennial weeds.
However, TCA and Dalapon at 1% are well known herbicides to
control perennial weeds like Cyanodon and sorghum Halopense (Johnson
grass)