Kandiannan, K.

Saji, K.V.

Sajini, A.V.

Srinivasan, V.

Thankamani, C.K.

English

Update Publishing (E-Journals)

Weed flora of black pepper garden in Kerala135Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a vinetrailed on live support trees (standards) planted at aspacing of 2.5 to 3.0 m on either side, however,spacing varies considerably according to localfarming situation. Weed is one of the major problemsthat affect the growth and development of blackpepper. Weeds, besides competing with black pepperfor natural resources, also harbor diseases and serveas alternative hosts of root-knot nematode andviruses. Field survey has shown that weed flora inblack pepper have changed with location/agro-climatic situation (Ipor, 1993; Kueh et al., 1993;Abraham and Abraham, 1998). Weeds are used asmulch in black pepper garden (Parthasarathy et al.,2007). Black pepper being widely spaced crop andgrown in high rainfall tropical humid climate thatoffers great scope for weeds to emerge and competewith crop at different magnitude (Parthasarathy andKandiannan, 2009). An understanding of thecommon weeds associated with this crop in differentagro-climatic situation is important for plantationmanagement. The objectives of this study were toidentify the weed flora and the most predominantweed species present in black pepper plantation andto analyze the major nutrient content of the weedspecies.A field survey to identify weeds in blackpepper plantation was conducted at Indian Instituteof Spices Research (IISR) experimental farm,Peruvannamuzhi, Kozhikode District, Kerala during2009. The topography of the area consists of a rangeof undulating hillocks, dissected by numerousvalleys.Weed flora of black pepper garden at high rainfall tractof northern agro-climatic zone of Kerala*(Manuscript Received: 22-07-11, Revised: 28-03-12, Accepted: 24-05-12)Keywords: Black pepper, dicot, monocot, quadrate, weed flora, weed indicesShort  Scientific  Report Journal of Plantation Crops, 2012, 40(2): 135-139*Part of M Sc., (Plantation Development) Thesis submitted to University of CalicutThe altitude ranges from 10 m to 60 m MSL.The farm area falls under high rainfall tract ofnorthern agro-climatic zone of Kerala and enjoys ahumid tropical climate. The tract is receiving 4461mm of annual rainfall in 145 rainy days. South westmonsoon (June to September) alone contributes 75%of the annual rainfall and July was the peak rainymonth (1117mm) with 27 rainy days. The length ofgrowing period was between 18th to 47th week (30thApril to 25th November) (Kandiannan et al., 2008).The temperature ranges from 19ºC during Februaryto 37ºC in April. The months January to March arecomparatively dry. Geologically the area is primarilya zone of residual laterite.In order to make weed count, a quadratewith a square of 50 cm was used in this study.Five random samples were observed from tenblack pepper plots. The quadrate was randomlythrown into the field, individual weed speciesinside the quadrate were counted, and the actualnumber of species per unit area was recorded.While counting the species, care was taken tocount the species which fall within the quadrateonly. The species which are lying or justoverlapping the quadrate but not have sproutedfrom the sampling unit were omitted. Weeds inquadrate were identified and classified intomonocots and dicots. Following weed indiceswere calculated.Total count of individual speciesDensity = ————————————————Number of samples (quadrates studied)where the species is presentSajini et al.136Number of times (quadrates)where particular species occurredFrequency (%) = ————————————— x 100Total number of quadrates studiedDensity for a given speciesRelative density = —————————— x 100(%) [RD] Total density for all speciesFrequency value fora speciesRelative frequency = ————————— x 100(%) [RF] Total frequency forall speciesRD + RFSummed dominance ratio (SDR) = —————2The weed samples collected were thoroughlycleaned and kept for drying in the hot air oven at60oC until uniform dry weight was obtained. Thesesamples used for chemical analysis by standardprocedures.The survey indicated the presence of 51 weedspecies belonging to 47 genera of 31 families.Among them 3 were monocotyledonous (including1 sedge), 47 dicotyledonous and 1 terrestrial fern(Pteridophyte) (Table 1). The species which are verycommon and are found in the pepper fields aremostly herbs. On an average 37 weeds per quadratewith a range of 12 to 101, similarly, mean of 5species per quadrate (1 monocot and 4 dicot) werenoted. Weed species belonging to Asteraceae,Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae and Euphorbiaceaewere the most abundant families based on thenumber of species recorded. Annual weeds werecommon than perennial weeds. The observeddominant mono-and dicotyledonous species wereAgeratum conyzoides, Vernonia cinerea L.,Chromolaena odorata (L.) King & Robins(Asteraceae), Mollugo stricta L., Mollugopentaphylla L. (Molluginaceae), Oxalis corniculata L.,Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. (Oxalidaceae),AcanthaceaeJusticia adhatoda L.Ruellia prostrata Poir.ApocynaceaeRauwolfia serpentina (L.) Benth.ex KurzIchnocarpus frutescens (L.) R.Br.AsteraceaeEclipta prostrata L.Vernonia cinerea L.Ageratum conyzoides L.Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC.Chromolaena odorata L.CaesalpiniaceaeSenna sophera (L.) Roxb.CapparaceaeCleome rutidosperma DC.ConvolvulaceaeEvolvulus nummularius (L.) L.Ipomoea digitata L.Merremia vitifolia(Burm.f) Hall.f.CyperaceaeKyllinga monocephala Rottb.CommelinaceaeCommelina difffusa Burm.f.EuphorbiaceaeEuphorbia hirta L.Phyllanthus amarus Schum and Thonn.Phyllanthus urinaria L.Table 1. Weed species present in black pepper plantationFabaceaeCentrosema molle Mart.ex Benth.Crotalaria pallida Aiton.LamiaceaeLeucas indica L.LobeliaceaeLobelia alsinoides Lain.Malvaceae Sida rhombifolia L.Sida alnifolia L.MenispermaceaeCyclea peltata (Lam.) Hook.f.and ThomsMimosaceaeMimosa diplotricha L.Mimosa pudica L.MolluginaceaeMollugo pentaphylla L.Mollugo stricta L.MoraceaeFicus exasperata VahlNyctaginaceaeBoerhaavia diffusa L.OxalidaceaeBiophytum sensitivum (L.) DC.Oxalis corniculata L.PiperaceaePeperomia pellucida (L.) KunthPoaceaeCynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.PteridaceaePteris quadriaurita Retz.RhamnaceaeZizyphus oenopila (L.) Mill.RubiaceaeSpermacoce latifolia Aubl.Oldenlandia auricularia  (L.) F.Muell.RutaceaeGlycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC.ScrophulariaceaeScoparia dulcis L.SolanaceaeCapsicum frutescens L.Physalis angulata L.Solanum torvum Sw.SterculiaceaeHelicteres isora L.Melochia corchorifolia L.TiliaceaeCorchorus aestuans L.UmbelliferaeCentella asiatica L.VerbenaceaeLantana camara L.Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl.Weed flora of black pepper garden in Kerala137Solanum torvum Sw. (Solanaceae), Phyllanthusamarus Schum and Thonn., Phyllanthus urinariaL., Euphorbia hirta L. (Euphorbiaceae), Sidaalnifolia L., Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae),Mimosa pudica L., Mimosa diplotricha L.(Mimosae), Spermacoce latifolia Aubl., Oldenlandiaauricularia (L.) F.Muell. (Rubiaceae), Evolvulusnummularius (L.)L., Merremia vitifolia (Burm.f)Hall.f., Ipomoea digitata L. (Convolvulaceae),Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl., Lantanacamara Linn. (Verbenaceae), Peperomia pellucida(L.) Kunth, (Piperaceae), Crotalaria pallida Aiton,Centrosema molle Mart.ex Benth. (Fabaceae).Monocot weeds were less in number and only threemonocots were identified, monocot weed specieswere Commelina diffusa Burm.f., Kyllingamonocephala Rottb. and Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers(Table 2). Pteris quadriuarita Retz. was theterrestrial fern present in the pepper field. Weed floravary with location, earlier, Anandaraj et al. (1989)and Thankamani et al. (2000) have reported nineimportant weeds from this location.Similar weed surveys in plantation and fieldcrops were undertaken throughout the world bydifferent workers from time to time. For example,weed survey carried out in rubber (Heveabrasiliensis Muell. Arg), oil palm (Elaeis guineensisJacq.), cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.), tea (Camelliasinensis (L.) O.Kunze.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.)in Indonesia indicated the presence of 131 weedspecies from 89 genera and 43 families. It furtherhighlighted that Euphorbia prunifolia andSpermacoce alata are the dominant weed species intea and cocoa (Mangoensoekardjo and Pancho,1975). Another work in tea fields of Taiwan indicatedthat Ageratun houstianum composed 66% of theweed flora (Liau, 1974). This indicates that weedflora vary with location. Weed survey in blackpepper fields of India was carried out by Abrahamand Abraham (1998) in Cannanore, Wyanad, Idukkiand Kozhikode districts of Kerala. Their resultsindicated the presence of a diversified group ofweeds in pepper gardens and recorded 55 weeds(41 dicots, 9 grasses, 3 ferns and 2 sedges). TheTable 2. Weed indices of selective weeds in black pepper garden      Name of weed species Density Frequency (%) Relative density (%) Relative frequency (%) SDRCommelina diffusa Burm.f. 1.22 26.0 36.8 5.3 21.0Spermacoce latifolia Aubl. 4.34 52.0 55.0 10.6 32.8Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth 7.98 36.0 56.0 7.4 31.6Ageratum conyzoides L. 8.04 62.0 56.7 12.7 34.7Corchorus aestuans L. 0.60 12.0 40.0 2.4 21.2Cynodon dacytlon (L.) Pers. 3.54 62.0 42.8 12.7 27.7Oldenlandia auricularia (L.) F.Muell. 3.72 42.0 41.6 8.6 25.1Kyllinga monocephala Rottb. 2.52 28.0 79.3 5.7 42.5Centrosema molle Mart.ex Benth. 0.44 14.0 32.0 1.6 16.8Euphorbia hirta L. 0.22 2.0 35.2 2.8 19.0Phyllanthus urinaria L. 0.32 8.0 37.9 0.4 19.1Mimosa diplotricha L. 0.24 6.0 38.8 1.2 20.0Ficus exasperata Vahl. 0.02 2.0 05.2 0.40 2.8Crotalaria pallida Aiton 0.42 14.0 10.8 2.90 6.8Mimosa pudica L. 0.24 10.0 07.5 2.0 4.7Leucas indica L. 0.06 4.0 12.5 0.8 6.6Cleome rutidosperma DC. 0.46 16.0 17.1 3.2 10.2Boerhaavia diffusa L. 0.02 2.0 04.0 0.4 2.2Vernonia cinerea  (L.) Less.var. 0.20 8.0 25.0 1.6 13.3Ichnocarpus frutescens (L.) R.Br. 0.74 34.0 12.0 6.9 9.4Cyclea peltata (Lam.) Hook.f and Thoms 0.60 22.0 18.4 4.5 11.4Oxalis corniculata L. 0.58 10.0 08.1 2.0 5.0Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. 0.06 2.0 04.0 0.4 2.2Phyllanthus amarus Schum andThonn. 0.38 8.00 18.9 1.6 10.2Rauwolfia serpentina (L.) Benth.ex Kurz. 0.04 2.00 07.7 0.4 4.0Capsicum frutescens L. 0.02 2.00 03.4 0.4 1.9Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl 0.02 2.00 03.4 0.4 1.9Sajini et al.138Table 3. Summary statistics of weed indices and nutrient content ofweed speciesWeed Indices/Nutrient Min Max Mean SD CV (%)Density 0.02 08.04 01.4 2.26 164.96Frequency 2.00 62.00 18.1 18.60 102.93Relative density (RD) 3.40 79.30 26.3 20.50 78.20Relative frequency (RF) 0.40 12.70 03.6 03.80 03.60Summed dominance 1.90 42.50 15.0 11.60 77.30ratio (SDR)Nitrogen (%) 1.34 3.85 2.48 0.55 22.17Phosphorus (%) 0.02 0.71 0.21 0.10 47.62Potassium (%) 1.3 3.02 2.00 0.34 17.0major dicot weeds in their study were Drymariacordata Willd., Mimosa pudica L., Sida rhombifoliaL., Synedrella nodiflora Gaeirtn., Ageratumconyzoides L., Bidens pilosa L., Mikania micanthaHBK., Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth. andVernonia cinerea (L.) Less. Most of these weedsare seen in the high altitude regions and are usuallyassociated with plantation crops of hilly areas likecardamom (Sudheesh et al., 1998), coffee and tea(AICRPWC, 1997).In the present study, Ageratum conyzoides L.,Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth, Spermacocelatifolia Aubl. and Oldenlandia auricularia (L.) F.Muell. were the most densely populated weeds inthe black pepper garden with average density of8.04, 7.98, 4.34 and 3.72, respectively. The meandata showed that Ageratum conyzoides L., Cynodondactylon (L.) Pers. and Spermacoce latifolia Aubl.were the most frequently occurring weeds in blackpepper crop having average frequency of 62%, 62%and 52%, respectively.Nitrogen content of whole weed speciesranged from 1.34% to 3.85% (Table 3). A lowervalue was recorded in Oldenlandia auricularia(L.) F  Muell and higher content was recorded inChromolaena odorata L. Phosphorous content (P)range from 0.02% to 0.71%. P content is lower inBoerhaavia diffusa Linn. (0.02%) and higher inRauwolfia serpentina  (L.) Benth.ex Kurz.(0.71%). In case of potassium, the lowest rangewas in Ichnocarpus frutescens (Linn.) R.Br.(1.3%) and highest range was in Centrosemamolle  Mart.ex Benth. (3.02%). Weeds areubiquitous and its dynamics, species cycle mayvary at temporal and spatial scale. It is essentialto document them systematically from time totime to know the biodiversity of farming systemand manage them for successful crop production.The present information from this study wouldgive insight on weed flora present in this highrainfall tract of northern agro-climatic zone ofKerala.AcknowledgementsThe authors gratefully acknowledge the helpof the Director, IISR, Head, Crop Production & PHTfor the facilities and critical comments. Senior authorsincerely thank Dr. K. V. Mohanan of CalicutUniversity for his help during study.ReferencesAbraham, C.T. and Abraham, M. 1998. Weeds of pepper gardensin Kerala. Spice India 11(12): 11-13.AICRPWC. 1997. All India Co-ordinated Research Programmeon Weed Control Annual Report for 1997. KeralaAgricultural University, Vellanikkara. 61pp.Anandaraj, M., Sivaraman, K. and Krishnamoorthy, B. 1989.Effective weed control through weedicides in plantationcrops. Indian Cocoa, Arecanut and Spices J. 13(2):63-64.Ipor, I.B. 1993. Weed problems in pepper (Piper nigrum L.)cultivation in Sarawak. In: The Pepper Industry:Problems and Prospects. (Eds.) Ibrahim, M.Y., C.F.J.Bong and I.B. Ipor. Universiti Pertanian Malaysia,Bintulu Campus, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia.pp.206-214.Kandiannan, K., Thankamani, C.K. and Mathew, P.A. 2008.Analysis of rainfall of the high rainfall tract of northernagro-climatic zone of Kerala. J. Spices and AromaticCrops 17: 16-20.Kueh, T. K.,  Lee, L.L. and Othman, F. 1993. Weeds and WeedManagement in Pepper Cultivation. In: The PepperIndustry : Problems and Prospects. (Eds.) Ibrahim,M.Y., C.F.J. Bong and I.B. Ipor. Universiti PertanianMalaysia, Bintulu Campus, Bintulu, Sarawak,Malaysia. pp. 193-205.Liau, T.L. 1974. The comparative experiments on the preventiveeffectiveness of 37% Asulox S to the weeds of a teaplantation. Taiwan Agriculture Q. 10: 53-68.Mangoensoekardjo, S. and Pancho, J.V. 1975.Weed inventoryin plantations in north Sumatra. Biotrop. Newsl.12: 12.Parthasarathy, V.A., Sasikumar, B., Nair, R.R. and JohnsonGeorge, K. 2007. Black Pepper: Botany andHorticulture. Hort. Rev. 33: 173–266.Weed flora of black pepper garden in Kerala139Indian Institute of Spices Research (ICAR),Kozhikode 673 012, Kerala, IndiaA.V. SajiniK. Kandiannan#V. SrinivasanK.V. SajiC.K. Thankamani#Corresponding author: kandiannan@spices.res.in; kandiannan@gmail.comParthassarathy, V. A. and Kanddiannan, K. 2009. Weedmanagement in spices crops. In: Proceedings ofNational Symposium on Weed Threat to Environment,Biodiversity and Agricultural Productivity, (Eds.)Varshney, J.G. and Sushilkumar. Indian Society of WeedScience, Jabalpur.  pp. 10.Sudheesh, M.V., Abraham, C.T. and Abraham, M. 1998.Distribution and dominance of weeds in cardamomfields of Kerala. Spice India 11(7): 8-10.Thankamani, C.K., Srinivasan, V., Anandaraj, M. andKandiannan, K. 2000. Evaluation of weedmanagement practices in a black pepper garden.In: Proceedings of the National Seminar on NewPerspective in Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants(Eds.) Korikanthimath, V.S., John Zachariah,T., Nirmal babu, K., Suseela bhai, R. andKandiannan, K. Indian Society for Spices, Calicut.pp. 215-218.

Weed flora of black pepper garden at high rainfall tract of northern agro-climatic zone of Kerala

https://updatepublishing.com/journal/index.php/JPC/article/download/5889/5162/

Weed flora of black pepper garden at high rainfall tract of northern agro-climatic zone of Kerala

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Update Publishing (E-Journals)