Authors : P.S. Sinha , Ram Kumar , S. Beck , M.C. Joshi and S.N. Sinhadeo
Abstract: Sericulture is an agro-based industry with food plants and silkworms being its 2 major components. As per one estimate the expenditure made on production of leaves come to be about 60% of cocoon production cost. Whether it is mulberry or non-mulberry sector, weeds have been a major reason for loss of nutrients of the soil otherwise meant for the growth of food plants and thereby lowering leaf production and in turn reducing cocoon production potential. This is why that in sericulture control of weeds is a regular exercise of maintenance of food plants and this control is brought out mainly through manual weeding by investing a good deal of man power and thus the expenditure. This study brings forth 2 innovative techniques for weed control. These techniques are not only the nonpolluting and eco-friendly but at the same time it puts the energies taken away by the weed from sericulture fields, back into system for bettering the utilization of available soil nutrient and for improving the production of foliage qualitatively and quantitatively thus bringing down the expenditure of foliage production.
P.S. Sinha , Ram Kumar , S. Beck , M.C. Joshi and S.N. Sinhadeo , 2008. Innovative Eco Friendly Techniques to Control the Weed Menace in Sericulture . Agricultural Journal, 3: 125-128.