SummaryWeed control within crop rows is one of the main problems in organic farming. For centuries, different weed removal tools have been used to reduce weeds in the crop rows. Stimulated by the demand from organic farmers, research in several European countries over the last decade has focused on mechanisation using harrowing, torsion finger weeding and weeding with compressed air (Pneumat). Intelligent weeders are now being developed which offer more advanced ways to control weeds, including larger ones and to leave the crop plants unharmed. One of the first commercially available intelligent weeders, the Sarl Radis from France, has a simple crop detection system based on light interception, which guides a hoe in and out of the crop row, around the crop plants. The inclusion of innovative technologies, including advanced sensing and robotics, in combination with new cropping systems, might lead to a breakthrough in physical weed control in row crops leading to significant reductions, or even elimination, of the need for hand weeding.
This chapter describes the three main techniques of mechanical weed management, i.e. (1) the use of tillage, (2) cutting weeds, and (3) pulling weeds. The economics of mechanical weed management is discussed.
The effects of stale seedbed preparations and several weed control methods on the emergence of weeds in lettuce were studied. The specific goal was to evaluate the use of a stale seedbed in combination with chemical or mechanical weed control methods in the field. Depending on location and year, stale seedbed preparations followed by weed control prior to planting reduced the amount of weeds during crop growth by 43-83%. Control of the emerged seedlings after a stale seedbed preparation was more effective with glyphosate than with a rotary harrow. Covering the rotary harrow during control to prevent light reaching the soil improved its effect on the weed density during crop growth in two of 3 years. Radiation with far red light (FR) did not reduce the number of emerging weeds in this study. Mechanical control by finger weeder, torsion weeder and hoe was applied without stale seedbed preparations. These measures reduced the weed densities by 88-99%, compared with the untreated control and were more effective than chemical weed control with carbetamide and chlorpropham. The results show that the stale seedbed technique in combination with mechanical control of emerging weeds can reduce the weed population during crop growth as effectively as chemical control. The technique may therefore help reduce the use of herbicides in lettuce crops in the future.Keywords: seedbed preparation, far red light, finger weeder, torsion weeder, hoe, rotary harrow, glyphosate.RIEMENS MM, VAN DER WEIDE RY, BLEEKER PO & LOTZ LAP (2007) Effect of stale seedbed preparations and subsequent weed control in lettuce (cv. Iceboll) on weed densities. Weed Research 47, 149-156.
Most studies on weed population dynamics in farming systems have focused on the effects of different weed control strategies. Those studies usually assume that farmers, operating within a particular system, have a uniform management style. However, it is likely that weed management decision making also varies between farmers that operate within a system. In this study, the relationship between weed management behavior and the outcome of that behavior within an organic farming system is studied. It is hypothesized that differences in weed pressure between organic farms can be related to differences in farmers' weed management behavior. We explore which weed and general management factors are of main influence on the weed pressure, and investigate the influence of farmer's beliefs and knowledge on weed control techniques and the observed weed pressure. Preventive measures and timing of main soil tillage operation were identified as the weed management factors most influential for weed pressure. With the increasing number of preventive measures applied, weed pressure decreased, with a stale seedbed being the most important preventive measure. The weed pressure increased with the number of days after September 1st on which the main tillage operation was carried out. Because of this postponement of the tillage treatments, the growing season of weeds was extended and more species were able to reproduce before winter, thereby enhancing weed pressure. Field size, rather than weed pressure, determined the number of hand-weeding hours per ha; with increasing field size the amount of hand weeding per surface area was reduced. On farms with lower weed pressures a higher percentage of competitive crops were grown than on farms with higher weed pressures. The farmer's beliefs and knowledge on weed control techniques differed between farmers with different weed pressures. Market-oriented growers had a higher on-farm weed pressure than crop-growth–oriented growers. It was concluded that studies on weed management behavior and the effect of that behavior can lead to a better understanding of farming systems and to more effective weed management in those systems.
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