A Review on Spurry (Spergula arvensis) and Possible Ways of Controlling it by Chemical Means.
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Author:A. R. SRINIVASAN
p-ISSN:0024-9602, e-ISSN:2582-5321, Vol:34, Issue:oct-oct
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29321/MAJ.10.A04563
Abstract
The weed spurry (Spergula arvensis) which
is native to Europe and later got established in U. S. A. (1) South
Africa (2) Canada (3) India and other countries, has been reported
in India even as early as 1874 by Bentham and Hooker (8). The
authors do not describe it is an introduced weed, though it has
been stated as a native of Europe, in the Bullettin of the
Michigan State Agricultural College (1). Its introduction into
India must have been long before 1874. No reference to it as an
established weed in India, has been made either by Bentham and
Hooker (8) or by Gamble (1928) (9) though both of them have
described it as occuring in cultivated fields in the cool parts of
India. In South India it is said to occur in the Kodaikanal and
Nilgiri Hills (9) & (15). Hence it must have become a noxious
weed through vigorous growth and effective self-propagation only
recently. At present it has assumed threatening proportions
especially in some tracts of upper Nilgiris, and according to an
official report from Nanjanad, it is said to smother all the orops
in the fields of the Agricultural Research Station there. Hence
an attempt has been made in this paper to review the various
chemical herbicides and to assess their usefulness with
particular reference to spurry..
Spurry is generally found as dense growths in corn fields and other waste places. It is reported to be harmful to corn crops, root crops and clover crops. When plentiful it practically suppresses both spring and summer crops.
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