Growth, yield and productivity response of 'sunrise solo' papaya to weed management strategies

The effects of five different weed control methods (hoe weeding, chemical weeding and intercrop with yellow pumpkin. white pumpkin and groundnut) were compared in papaya plots at Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. The aim was to find an organic weed control method as effective as chemical weed control (Delsate(R)). Among the treatments, only intercropping with yellow pumpkin significantly decreased leaf area of papaya. Chemical weeding gave significantly higher fruit yield than other weed control strategies. The effects of intercropping with yellow or white pumpkin did not differ significantly. They both gave higher fruit yield than hoe weeded plots. Chemical weeding gave significantly better weed control than any of the intercrops or hoe weeding. The efficacies of intercropping or hoe weeding often did not differ significantly. Productivity of the papaya plots chemically weeded, intercropped with white pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, groundnuts or hoe weeded were N4707500. N4094070. N3938020, N3744900 and N3200000. respectively. Since productivity of papaya plots intercropped with white pumpkin was only 13% lower than that of chemically weeded plots. intercropping with white pumpkin is recommended as a suitable strategy for organic weed control in papaya plots.