Abstract

Control of weeds in cultivated crops by the use of selective herbicides has become increasingly popular. A good measure of success in this direction has been reported by workers in India and elsewhere.. The active chemical ingredients of the many commercial formulations in the market mainly consist of 10% of sodium -4 chloro-2 inethyl phenoxyacetate, 80% of the sodium salt of 2-4-D, 40% of the butyl ester of 24-D, sodium and ammonium trichloracetates and dinitro-ortho- cresol. Sumai (Panicum miliar, Lam) is an important goodgrain erop raised on the Nilgiri hills in rotation with potato and forms the staple diet. Being a slow-growing millet it is overpowered very quickly by spurry (Spergula arvensis), a pernicious weed of the region. Very often the entire crop succumbs to this and other common local weeds like Oxalis and Polygonums Handweeding is not always possible, due to scarcity and high cost of labour.

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