EFFECT OF DICRANOPTERIS LINEARIS DEBRIS ON WEED EMERGENCE AND PINEAPPLE GROWTH IN PINEAPPLE FIELD

The project was conducted to study the potential of Dicranopteris linearis, an allelopathic plant, as organic mulching material for weed control in pineapple fields. The debris of Dicranopteris significantly reduced weed emergence in the pineapple field. After 3 months of treatment, the Dicranopteris at 1.5 kg/m² reduced weed emergence by approximately 95%. In the field treated with 3.0 kg/m² of Dicranopteris, only 1% of weeds successfully emerged. Dicranopteris did not cause detrimental symptoms on pineapple plants. In contrast, the number and length of leaves and fresh weight of pineapple plants in the Dicranopteris-treated areas were higher than those in the non Dicranopteris-treated areas.