Chemical weed management in garlic

A field experiment was conducted to study the influence of various herbicidal treatments on the growth and productivity of garlic (Allium sativum L.) during 2012–13 and 2013–14 on sandy loam soils of SKUAST, Chatha. The experiment involved two genotypes of garlic replicated thrice in factorial randomized block design. The weed density, weed dry matter accumulation and weed control efficiency varied significantly with the stage of the crop showing a declining trend, being highest at 60 days after sowing and lowest at the time of harvesting. Significantly lower weed density, weed dry matter accumulation, weed index and relatively higher weed control efficiency were recorded in large segmented cultivar (SJKG-01) with weed free plots followed by treatment with pre-emergence application of oxadiargyl 90 g/ha fb post-emergence application of quizalofop-ethyl 50 g/ha, at 2–3 leaf stage of weeds. The average bulb weight (26.73 g), bulb diameter (3.96 cm.) and bulb yield (4.83 t/ha) were also more in large segemented than the smaller one (SJKG-02). Among herbicidal treatments, the weed free plots in both the cultivars produced plants with more average bulb weight, bulb diameter and bulb yield followed by the plots with pre-emergence application of oxadiargyl fb post-emergence application of quizalofop-ethyl, applied at 2–3 leaf stage of the weeds. From economics point of view, the weed free plots resulted in higher cost of cultivation and net returns followed by the treatment combination of oxadiargyl 90 g/ha pre-emergence fb quizalofop-ethyl as post-emergence 50 g/ha applied at 2–3 leaf stage of weeds yielding a B: C ratio of 5.70 in small segmented and 6.73 in large segmented garlic respectively.