Influence of integrated weed management practices on soil properties, nutrient status and biochemical composition of mulberry

A field experiment was conducted during 2025 to evaluate the effect of integrated weed management practices on soil properties, nutrient status and biochemical quality of mulberry. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with fourteen treatments and three replications. Among all the treatments, T₉ (hand weeding immediately after pruning followed by intercropping with fodder cowpea) recorded higher post-harvest soil available nitrogen (253.52 kg ha⁻¹), phosphorus (50.24 kg ha⁻¹) and potassium (195.33 kg ha⁻¹), leaf nitrogen (2.88%), phosphorus (0.37%) and potassium (2.03%), chlorophyll-a (1.32 mg g⁻¹), chlorophyll-b (1.13 mg g⁻¹), total chlorophyll (2.45 mg g⁻¹), crude protein (17.91%) and crude fibre (10.52%). Higher leaf moisture (71.94%) and carbohydrate content (17.85%) were recorded in T₃ (hand weeding immediately after pruning followed by plastic mulching within a week). Among the herbicide-based treatments, T₈ (paraquat dichloride followed by plastic mulching) performed relatively better than the other chemical treatments. The study indicated that hand weeding immediately after pruning followed by fodder cowpea intercropping or plastic mulching can be considered as effective and sustainable weed management practices for improving soil fertility and biochemical quality of mulberry leaves.