ISHS Acta Horticulturae 372: Symposium on Engineering as a Tool to reduce Pesticide Consumption and Operator Hazards in Horticulture
MECHANICAL AND INTEGRATED WEED CONTROL SYSTEMS IN ROW CROPS |
| Authors: | D.T. Baumann, I. Slembrouck |
| Keywords: | carrot, seedbed, harrowing, hoeing, brushing, ridging, roll-cultivation |
| Abstract:
Different systems for mechanical weed control, consisting of 2 pre- and 4 post-emergence techniques have been tested and compared regarding their usefulness, efficacy and crop selectivity in carrots (Daucus carota L. spp. sativus). Repeated weed harrowing between seeding and crop emergence has been used as a prophylactic treatment to decrease subsequent weed pressure after crop emergence. As post-emergence techniques, hoeing and interrow-brushing, both combined with band application of a herbicide, as well as interrow roll-cultivation with ridging have been compared with a conventional broadcast application of a herbicide. Visual assessments of weed density and composition, biomass determination of crop and weeds, and yield of hoeing/band application and interrow-brushing/band application was similar to the broadcast chemical weed control. Interrow roll-cultivation with ridging significantly decreased yield, mainly because of high weed density in the rows. Pre-sowing harrowing neither affected weed density nor crop yield. Weed control systems using hoeing or row-brushing, combined with band application, may help to reduce herbicide consumption in vegetable row crops by 40–75%, depending on the distance between the rows. Ridging as a method to replace band application of herbicides needs to be optimised, possibly by combination with other mechanical techniques such as weed harrowing. | |
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