Weed Management in Apple Cv. Royal Delicious by Using Different Orchard Floor management Practices

In this study, 19-year-old apple orchard at Arabal, Shalimar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, was selected during 2015 and 2016. Forty-five trees were treated with paddy straw mulch, paddy straw mulch followed by glyphosate @ 2.0 l ha⁻¹, oxyflourfen @ 1.0 l ha⁻¹, oxyflourfen @ 1.0 l ha⁻¹ followed by glyphosate @ 2.0 l ha⁻¹, atrazine @ 3.0 kg ha⁻¹, atrazine @ 3.0 kg ha⁻¹ followed by glyphosate @ 2.0 l ha⁻¹, pendimethalin @ 2.0 l ha⁻¹, pendimethalin @ 2.0 l ha⁻¹ followed by glyphosate @ 2.0 l ha⁻¹, bicolor polythene mulch, cowpea, white clover, clean cultivation, farmer practices, zero weeds and control. Three replications were maintained in a randomized complete block design. Minimum weeds (0.0) and weed control efficiency (100%) were recorded in zero weeds, bicolor polythene mulch and in paddy straw mulch followed by glyphosate. High levels of soil nutrients, large annual shoot extension (49.3 and 50.2 cm) and leaf area (77.83 and 78.57 cm⁻²) with maximum fruit yield (82.03 and 80.60 kg/tree) were recorded in paddy straw mulch followed by glyphosate during 2015 and 2016, respectively. Paddy straw mulch followed by glyphosate can be used for effective weed control with improved yield and growth characters of apple.