Screen-House Evaluation of Weed Suppression Potential of Cassava Effluent at Varied Frequency of Application and Cyanide Concentration

Abstract

The suitability of cassava effluent (CE) for weed management required investigation due to the comparative advantage of biological weed control over other methods. Screen-house experiment comprising four levels of CE concentration (60, 120, 180, and 240 μg CN /kg soil) in factorial combination with four levels of application frequency (one, two, three, and four times) and a control treatment where no CE was applied, were laid out in a Completely Randomized Design and replicated three times. Data on weed weight, density, and flora composition were collected. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Duncan multiple range test (DMRT) was used to separate the treatment means at P < 0.05. The result showed that 240 μg CN /kg soil, applied four times, performed best in reducing weed density. The CE concentration and frequency of application had selective control on weed species. The density of Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) decreased, whereas Panicum maximum (L.) and Cyperus rotundus (L.) were tolerant. Therefore, the sole use of CE for non-selective control in the weed population of high heterogenicity is not advisable.

Keywords

• Cassava effluent
• Cyanide concentration
• Weed composition
• Weed control

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