Weed Killer Or Hired Hands?

[bannork]

We're currently using 30 rai for sugar cane and my better half reckons we should buy weedkiller to kill off the weeds sprouting in the rainy season between the sugar cane plants

Pesticide for 30 rai will cost us about 4,000 baht she reckons. But I remember seeing the local landlord employing about 20 people on his 200 rai to clear the emerging weeds.

My questions are:

If we use pesticide which weedlkiller would be most effective, and will it really not affect the sugar cane, bearing in mind it's a repeat crop?

Would efficient tilling by the locals, for example 1 rai per head a day, (the weeds are small and the soil is loose) be just as cheap and better for the soil?

Happy rainy season,

Bannork.

[Maizefarmer]

There are all sorts of issues here:

- you could use post-emergance

- you could use pre-emergance

- you could use manual labour

- last, but not least, you could just leave the weeds

Whatever you decide to do, your weed control stratergy should be a viable one - meaning: invest in it (cost wise) what you you need to, and no more i.e. that is, if it can be tolerated then it's best just to spend nothing on it.

But in arrving at that decision you need to take into consideration just when you are going to plant, the variety you are going to plant and how long it takes to mature - all of which will determine weed density and their relative growth to the cane. Weeds in cane that is 2 or 3 months before intended harvest - there is no point in spending anything on taking them out. By contrast, high weed density which occurs 2 - 3 months after planting does need to be removed - but with a carefully though out stratergy that involves the use of a pre or post emergance herbicide you can avoid having to employ labour to remove any weeds untill at least 5 - 6 months - and then of course unless you have high weed density you may well be better off (cost wise) just leaving them.

In summary, from what you have shared with us about your weed problem, I personally would not be able to say which is the best of the above options to adopt - and best means, which is the most cost effective method (which for all of us farming in Thailand is a consideration at the top of many of the decisions we take daily).

Your weed stratergy, on a land area this size, is something that needs to be built into the overall crop cycle , and the options thought through before planting.

So - some background info would help:

- what variety have you planted?

- how long has it being in the ground?

- what is the current weed density (a photo or two?)?

- are you (going to) irrigate?

- what equipment do you have (e.g. if you applied herbicide now, how would it be done - by backpack or through sprinklers)?

Read up on on pre and post emergance herbicides as well.

And last but not least, find out from other farmers around you how they control weeds. Yes, manual labour is one way, but so is the use of pre and post emergance herbicides - what do they use, when do they apply it, how, ect ect .......

MF

[Mosha]

You have to watch what they are using as a weed killer, as it may not be. I used to work at what was ICI Huddersfield UK. At that site they have the the company ( It's now Syngenta ) Bipyridyl Plant. The commercial name for this product is Reglone. Cost's very little to make, but makes massive profits, unless it's at wage negotiating time. In Europe it is used to kill of the grren part of the routing veg, especially potatoes. The active chemucal is neutralised by soil, so if they are using Reglone you are not killing off the roots. The weeds etc are back in days. I have seen it used down here in Ranong as a weed killer.

[bannork]

There are all sorts of issues here:

- you could use post-emergance

- you could use pre-emergance

- you could use manual labour

- last, but not least, you could just leave the weeds

Whatever you decide to do, your weed control stratergy should be a viable one - meaning: invest in it (cost wise) what you you need to, and no more i.e. that is, if it can be tolerated then it's best just to spend nothing on it.

But in arrving at that decision you need to take into consideration just when you are going to plant, the variety you are going to plant and how long it takes to mature - all of which will determine weed density and their relative growth to the cane. Weeds in cane that is 2 or 3 months before intended harvest - there is no point in spending anything on taking them out. By contrast, high weed density which occurs 2 - 3 months after planting does need to be removed - but with a carefully though out stratergy that involves the use of a pre or post emergance herbicide you can avoid having to employ labour to remove any weeds untill at least 5 - 6 months - and then of course unless you have high weed density you may well be better off (cost wise) just leaving them.

In summary, from what you have shared with us about your weed problem, I personally would not be able to say which is the best of the above options to adopt - and best means, which is the most cost effective method (which for all of us farming in Thailand is a consideration at the top of many of the decisions we take daily).

Your weed stratergy, on a land area this size, is something that needs to be built into the overall crop cycle , and the options thought through before planting.

So - some background info would help:

- what variety have you planted?

- how long has it being in the ground?

- what is the current weed density (a photo or two?)?

- are you (going to) irrigate?

- what equipment do you have (e.g. if you applied herbicide now, how would it be done - by backpack or through sprinklers)?

Read up on on pre and post emergance herbicides as well.

And last but not least, find out from other farmers around you how they control weeds. Yes, manual labour is one way, but so is the use of pre and post emergance herbicides - what do they use, when do they apply it, how, ect ect .......

MF

MF, thank you for your very prompt and detailed reply,apologies for the slow response , my camera was away from home, as you can see from the attached photos the problem is grass rather than weeds. We inherited this sugar cane from the previous farmer and as you can see it's sparse in places. After cutting this crop in October we'll be ploughing this section so would you agree it's not worth it to do anything about the grass now?

bannork.

[Gary A]

I think it would be difficult with a herbicide since sugar cane is also in the grass family.