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An important growing technique when growing garlic is weed management. Garlic plants are generally competing poorly with weeds, especially during the first developmental stages, due to the relatively thin and upright growth leaves. As a result, the plants may often suffer from weeds (if left uncontrolled), which compete with plants in terms of space, access to sunlight, water, and nutrients. The presence of weeds will have a negative impact on the yield of bulbs (up to 80% losses), as well as on the quality of the cloves.
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Garlic is highly vulnerable to weed infestation due to its slow emergence and slow initial growth, non-branching habit, sparse foliage, shallow root system.
Weeds compete for nutrients, soil, moisture, space and light considerably reducing the yield, quality and value through increased production and harvesting costs. Garlic is closely planted crop with very small canopy. Due to smaller leaf size it cannot compete with the weeds. Their competition with the plants starts at very early growth stage because immediately after planting the cloves, the weed emergence occurs that competes with the tender seedlings. Weeds also harbor insect pests and disease-causing organisms. The losses caused by weeds have been estimated to be much higher than those caused by insect pest and diseases.
Weed reduces the bulb yield to the extent of 40 to 80% . In garlic shallow root system make mechanical method of weed control difficult and sometimes causes damage to developing bulbs
Techniques include mulching, hand weeding, cover cropping, crop rotation, flame weeding, vinegar-based herbicides, and corn gluten meal. Mulching blocks sunlight and reduces weed germination, while hand weeding is simple and effective. Cover cropping prevents soil erosion and improves fertility.
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