Growers desire more techniques to control weeds in horticultural crops that are grown organically and consumed directly, such as red raspberry. Abrasive grit emited via high air pressure is a new method for controlling weeds. Grit derived from corn cobs was examined for its efficacy during the year of raspberry establishment for 2 to 3 years at three sites (seven site-years) and compared with efficacy of hand-weeding as well as no weed control. Grit was applied once or twice weekly after raspberry transplantation in spring until weed emergence ceased in mid to late July. Weeds and raspberry growth were assessed in August. Grit was effective in controlling broadleaf weeds, averaging 94% control across site-years, but control of grass weeds was less than 10%. Total weed (broadleaf plus grass) control across site-years ranged from 51% to 96% and averaged 78%. Raspberry cane growth was affected by weeds, and grit-weeding at least partially alleviated these effects. Thus, abrasive grit allows growers to manage broadleaf weeds effectively without herbicides or soil tillage. However, additional research is needed to determine the correct amounts and timing of grit applications, as well as more efficacious types of grit, to control grass weeds.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many courses were forced online. This posed particular challenges for courses with laboratory or hands-on components. A group of instructors at the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison designed an online, asynchronous course structure for teaching introductory horticulture courses with laboratory components. Uniquely, the courses described in this article, while delivered through the online teaching platform Canvas, focused on developing hands-on activities that got students away from their computers to observe, work with, and grow plants. The course included hands-on activities that complemented lecture readings and videos and guided students through designing and setting up experiments in their homes. We heard many positive reviews from student course evaluations for this style of course and want to share the structure and the types of experiential activities we included to engage students with plants and the process of science, as well as lessons that we learned while teaching in this online learning environment. We found that the ability to care for and observe plants on a daily basis wove together the lecture and lab materials in ways that were not previously seen during in-person courses. As instructors, we would adapt some of the components of these online courses into our in-person courses in the future.
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