Floristic composition of weed flora in banana plantation

Banana (Musa paradisiaca) in India ranks second in terms of area and production and it accounts for 12 percent (4,33,000 ha) of the total area under fruit crops and 30 percent (10.46 mt) of the total fruit production. In Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, banana is cultivated in 3827 ha with a total production of 34,563 t and the productivity is lowest in Tamil Nadu (9.3 t ha-1). The fruit is inexpensive, possesses medicinal values and used in all auspicious occasions in South India. Weed menace in banana is severe due to its wider spacing, lesser tillage operation and slow canopy coverage during early growth phase. Under normal planting distance rhizomatous and stoloniferous weeds and many broad leaved weeds competed severely with banana especially during its early stages of crop growth (Chacko and Reddy, 1981). For effecting weed management for such situation, basic understanding of the floristic composition of weeds in that particular locality becomes imperative