Effectiveness of Integrated Organic Weed Management in Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) Field

Abstract

Organic weed management is an indispensable technique for effective, environmentally friendly and sustainable weed suppression in organic crop fields. A field experiment was conducted during the 2023 late cropping season at the University of Calabar Teaching and Research Farm, Calabar, to determine the effectiveness of integrated use of dead organic mulches [oil palm bunch refuse (OPBR), dry neem leaves (DNL)] and hand weeding frequency [hand weeding once (H ), hand weeding twice1 (H ), hand weeding thrice (H ), regular weeding/weed-free check (WFC) and no weeding/weedy2 3 check (WC)] on weed suppression and the performance of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.). The experiment was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with three replications. The 10 treatments were: OPBR+DNL+ H , OPBR+ H , DNL+ H , OPBR+ H , DNL+ H ,3 3 3 2 2 OPBR+ H , DNL+ H , H , WFC and WC. Data were collected on weeds, vegetative characteristics1 1 3 and vine yield of fluted pumpkin and analyzed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method. The means were compared using the Duncan's New Multiple Range Test (DNMRT) at 5 % level of probability. The results indicated that generally, weeds were suppressed and crop performance improved by weed control treatments relative to no weeding. The WFC which had no weeds, produced the highest vine yield (16.84 t/ha), statistically (P < 0.05) similar to OPBR+DNL+ H (17.87 t/ha). No3 weeding throughout the cropping season (WC) resulted in higher cumulative weed dry matter of 61.85 % and 73.39 % compared with the integrated weed management treatments and three times hand weeding, respectively, and consequently, suppressed fluted pumpkin vine yield by 59.28 %. Conclusively, the results demonstrated that, OPBR+DNL+ H effectively controlled weeds and3 enhanced the growth and vine yield of fluted pumpkin more than the farmers’ practice of three times hand weeding and could be a viable alternative to regular hand weeding.