Critical Period for Weed Control in Okra (Abelmeschus esculentus L. Moench) in Dongola, Northern State, Sudan

Suhair Mohamed Elamin; Mukhtar Abdelaziz Mohamed Osman; Salah Eltoum Elamin; Babiker Mohamed Mahgoub

Suhair Mohamed Elamin Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Northern State, Sudan
Mukhtar Abdelaziz Mohamed Osman Faculty of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science & Technology, Sudan
Salah Eltoum Elamin Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Sudan
Babiker Mohamed Mahgoub Faculty of Agriculture, Bahri University, Sudan

Keywords: Yield loss, weed-free, infestation, weed competition

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at Altoraa, Dongola Locality, Northern State – Sudan, for two consecutive summer seasons (2014, 2015) to determine okra yield losses due to weed infestation and the critical period of weed/crop competition. Combined analysis showed that, crop growth components were adversely affected by weed competition. Plant height, number of branches/plant, number of leaves/plant and shoot dry weight were significantly reduced by 15, 39, 41 and 50%, respectively, compared to the weed-free plots. Results of combined analysis of the two seasons indicated that, unrestricted weed growth significantly reduced okra dry pod and seed yield by 72.81 and 40.58%, respectively, compared to the weed free plots. The study also showed that, the critical period of weed/okra competition was between 6 and 8 weeks after sowing.