“Manual removal of Weeds and arm care in paddy field are eco-friendly”.

“Manual removal of Weeds and arm care in paddy field are Eco-friendly “said K.Dendran, an organic farmer of Kalanjium fields in his introductory speech of a workshop conducted for women farmers of Amoor. K.Dendran further said, “Weed control is the botanical component of Pest control, using physical methods to stop weeds from reaching a mature stage of growth. Knowing how weeds reproduce, spread and survive adverse conditions can help in developing effective control and management strategies. Weeds have a range of techniques that enable them to thrive. In order to reduce weed growth; many "weed control" strategies have been developed in order to contain the growth and spread of weeds. The most basic is ploughing which cuts the roots of annual weeds. Weeds can compete with productive crops or pasture, or convert productive land into unusable scrub. Weeds are also often distasteful, produce burrs, thorns or otherwise interfere with the use and management of desirable plants by contaminating harvests. Weeds tend to thrive at the expense of the more refined edible crops. They provide competition for space, nutrients, water and light, although how seriously they will affect a crop depends on a number of factors. Weeds also differ in their competitive abilities, and can vary according to conditions and the time of year. The presence of weeds does not necessarily mean that they are competing with a crop, especially during the early stages of growth when each plant can find the resources it requires without interfering with the others. However, as the seedlings’ size increases, their root systems will spread as they each begin to require greater amounts of water and nutrients. Estimates suggest that weed and crop can co-exist harmoniously for around three weeks, therefore it is important that weeds be removed early on in order to prevent competition occurring. Weed competition can have quite dramatic effects on crop growth. Weeds can also host pests and diseases that can spread to cultivated crops. However, at times the role of weeds in this respect can be overrated. There are many methods available to control pest plants. Often one method will not be sufficient to control serious weeds, and integrating several methods over a long period will be more successful. This approach is known as integrated weed management. Hand pulling aims to remove the entire weed including its roots from the soil. This method is useful for small-scale infestations, or with a team of workers. It is best to hand-pull weeds after rain, when soil is moist. Sturdy gloves should be worn to avoid prickles, blisters or sap burns to the skin. Hand tools such as broad knives and trowels can be used to remove underground parts of weeds that may reshoot. In some cases it is necessary to dig out the crown of the weed. This requires the growing part of the plant to be cut beneath the ground using a knife. It is easiest to remove the crown from moist soil”.Govin