The impact of uprooting and soil-covering on the effectiveness of weed harrowing

The impact of uprooting and covering plants on mortality and growth reduction was investigated in the laboratory using Lolium perenne L. and Lepidium sativum L. (harrowed 3–4 days after emergence) and Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (harrowed at emergence) as model weed species. Although the predominant initial effect of harrowing was to cover the plants, only 1–17% of the non-uprooted covered plants were killed because the depth at which they were buried by the harrow was shallow. Uprooting was more effective (47–61% mortality) but strongly dependent on soil moisture content. It accounted for 93 and 95% of L. sativum and C. quinoa mortality, but for only 60% of L. perenne mortality. In L. perenne , the species most sensitive to burying, a strong positive relationship was observed between the percentage of plants covered by harrowing and the fresh weight reduction of the total population 6 days after harrowing. The fresh weight reduction of the total L. sativum population was best related to the percentage of uprooted plants, but the percentage of covered plants also appeared to be a good predictor because of its correlation with uprooting. Most of the uprooted plants were also buried. The fresh weight reduction of the total C. quinoa population was not related to the covering effect of harrowing and only weakly related to the percentage of uprooted plants. The results indicate that the plant recovery process after harrowing needs further study and that field research methods should be refined so that they can better discern initial and final harrowing effects on weeds.     

Resistance against uprooting in carrots ( Daucus carota) and annual weeds: a basis for selective mechanical weed control

Trials were carried out in order to investigate ways in which to achieve selectivity in mechanical weed control. The influence of soil type, uprooting angle and development stage on the uprooting force of some annual weeds and carrot was studied. Spergula arvensis L., Urtica urens L., Chenopodium album L. and carrot (Daucus carota L.) were sown in soil bins filled with four different soil types. The plants were uprooted when they had two true leaves. Soil type significantly influenced the uprooting force needed by all four species. The forces required to uproot U. urens and C. album differed significantly between peat and loamy sand. In loamy sand, Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Med., Stellaria media (L.) Vill, Chamomilla suaveolens (L.) Pursh Buch. and Viola arvensis Murr. could all be uprooted by less force than it took to uproot carrot. The uprooting angle (0°, 45° and 90°) had no significant influence on the uprooting force for carrot at the studied developmental stage. C. album, S. arvensis, U. urens, Matricaria inodora, Thlaspi arvense L. and carrot could all be uprooted by less than 1 N when they had two true leaves. Carrots required a greater uprooting force than the weeds at the three early developmental stages studied. This indicates that it should be possible to develop selective mechanical weed control methods.     

Weed competition in spring-planted raspberries

Spring-planted raspberries (Rubus idaeus L. cv. Malling Jewel) were exposed to competition from annual weeds for various lengths of time during the first growing season. Weeds germinating following crop planting in late March had no effect on numbers of new canes produced provided weed removal occurred by early June. The importance of preventing competition from these weeds during the critical period of cane emergence (June/July) was demonstrated. Dense weed cover reduced cane growth and, if weeds were left beyond late June, caused considerable mortality of planting material. Weed growth also frequently reduced cane height. In the second year, all plots were maintained free of weeds. Fruit yields showed effects of weeds similar to or greater than those indicated by total cane growth in the previous year. Height of new canes was unaffected by previous weeding treatments, but the numbers of new canes produced continued to show severe effects of initial competition from weeds. Allowing further weed growth to develop after initial weeding had no additional effect on crop survival or cane numbers in the first year. In one experiment, however, a reduction in cane height due to weeds germinating in June was followed in the second year by a reduction in the numbers of new canes produced.     

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) response to weed and disease management in northern Ghana

Weeds and diseases can reduce peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield or increase cost of production to maintain acceptable yield. While herbicides and fungicides have limited availability in many areas of Ghana and currently are too expensive for resource-poor farmers, control by these pesticides can have a major positive impact on peanut yield. Field experiments were conducted during the rainy seasons of 2009 and 2010 in northern Ghana to determine the effects of herbicide and hand weeding in combination with fungicides on pest management and peanut yield. Peanut pod yield was often more highly correlated with disease severity and canopy defoliation resulting from early leaf spot (caused by Cercospora arachidicola Hori) and late leaf spot (caused by Cercosporidium personatum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Deighton) than weed biomass. In some instances, less disease and canopy defoliation were observed when weeds were not controlled effectively compared with increased weed management through hand weeding or herbicide. Two hand weedings or applying pendimethalin preemergence with one hand weeding in combination with 4 applications of triadimefon and chlorothalonil resulted in the lowest weed density and canopy defoliation and often resulted in the highest peanut yield.     

河北省冬小麦田杂草群落特征

为了明确河北省冬小麦田杂草的群落组成和结构,采用倒置"W"取样法对河北省7个地区146块冬小麦田的杂草进行了调查和物种多样性测度。结果显示,河北省冬小麦田有61种杂草,隶属于21科53属,播娘蒿、打碗花、荠菜、麦瓶草和麦家公是河北省冬小麦田的优势杂草。保定地区麦田杂草群落的物种丰富度最大;沧州地区麦田杂草群落的Shannon-Wiener指数和Pielou指数最大;廊坊地区麦田杂草群落的Gleason指数、Shannon-Wiener指数和Pielou指数最小,优势草种比较突出。经聚类分析和主成分分析,河北省冬小麦田杂草群落分为3组:石家庄、保定、邢台和廊坊的麦田杂草群落中耐旱杂草的相对多度较高;沧州和衡水的麦田杂草群落中耐盐杂草的相对多度较高;邯郸的麦田杂草群落中喜湿杂草的相对多度较高。说明土壤的盐度和湿度是影响河北省冬小麦田杂草群落组成的主要生态因子。     

Radar Studies of Insects

Abstract

Yield and weed growth in dry-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) were unaffected by method of seeding. Weeds depressed rice yields by 95%. Fourteen weed species were found growing in association with dry-seeded rice at maximum flowering of the weeds. Echinochloa colona (L.) Link and Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees were the major weeds. A dramatic change in the weed flora was observed in transplanted rice planted immediately after the harvest of the dry-seeded crop. Only five species grew in association with the transplanted crop. Monochoria vaginalis (Burm.) Presl. dominated. E. colona and L. chinensis were present in transplanted rice but were only minor weeds. The number of weeds in the transplanted crop was less than 50%, and weighed only 5% as much as those in the dry-seeded crop. There was no carryover of the weed control treatments from the dry-seeded crop to the transplanted crop.     

Site‐related set‐back by weeds on the establishment of 12 biomass willow clones

Ten commercial clones of willow and two breeding clones were studied for their ability to compete with weeds during the establishment year at three different sites in southern Sweden. Cuttings were planted according to commercial practice in April, and the two treatments, ‘Weeded’ and ‘Unweeded’, were laid out in a strip‐plot design. Weeds in the ‘Weeded’ treatment were removed mechanically and by hand hoeing. Willow plant shoot weight and plant mortality were measured after the first growing season to evaluate the initial effect of weeds. In addition, weed flora, weed aboveground biomass, soil properties, shoot damage and soil moisture were assessed during the growing season. Plant mortality was <1% in the ‘Weeded’ treatment at the three study sites, while in ‘Unweeded’ it was significantly higher, 2.7%, 24.6% and 37.4%. Weeds reduced willow plant shoot weight by 93.4%, 94.0% and 96.1% at the three sites. Only one site showed clonal differences in shoot growth reduction, as well as in plant mortality. These results show the importance of weed control in willow plantations, as growth of all clones tested were dramatically hampered by weeds during the first growing season, regardless of trial site conditions. Moreover, conditions at certain sites, such as soil properties in combination with weed cover, may cause high plant mortality during the establishment year in this perennial biomass crop.     

Selective uprooting by weed harrowing on sandy soils

Uprooting by weed harrowing and the potential of the uprooting process for selective weed control at early crop growth stages was studied. Effects of working depth, seed depth, soil moisture content and working speed on uprooting of Lolium perenne L., Lepidium sativum L. and Chenopodium quinoa Willd. were investigated in laboratory harrowing experiments on a sandy soil. Harrowing uprooted on average 51% of the emerging plants and 21% of the plants in the seedling stage. Seventy per cent of all uprooted plants were completely covered by soil. An increase in working depth from 10 mm to 30 mm doubled the average fraction of uprooted plants. Uprooting was also promoted by higher soil moisture contents and higher working speeds. Average uprooting selectivity (=fraction of uprooted emerging plants/fraction of uprooted seedlings of the same species) varied between 2.0 (deep tillage and high speed) and 5.6 (dry soil). If tines could keep a distance of more than 3 mm from the crop and weed plants, the average selectivity of all treatments would improve from 2.4 to 5.5 and the average fraction of uprooted seedlings would decrease from 21% to 8%. This study indicates that uprooting may be a more important weed control mechanism than commonly believed. If working depth and the path of the harrow tines in relation to crop rows could be accurately controlled, uprooting could be a relatively selective weed control mechanism at early crop growth stages.     

Effects of cultural methods and physical weed control on intrarow weed numbers, manual weeding and marketable yield in direct-sown leek and bulb onion

Manual weeding of intrarow weeds in direct-sown leek and bulb onion crops grown organically can be very labour-intensive. Four field experiments, two in direct-sown leek and two in direct-sown bulb onion were made in this investigation to study the effects of physical and cultural methods on intrarow weed numbers, time consumption for hand-weeding and marketable yield parameters. The physical methods considered were: pre-emergence flaming and harrowing, and post-emergence hoeing close to the row (only leek) and vertical brush weeding. The cultural methods were: seed priming, slurry placement and cultivar choice (only leek). Generally, flaming plus brush weeding gave the highest intrarow weed control at 92% and 87%, respectively, in the two leek experiments and 39% (only brush weeding was effective) and 74%, respectively, in the two onion experiments. Time consumption for hand-weeding after the different treatments was linearly related to the remaining numbers of intrarow weeds, with no significant influences of the experimental factors on the general relationship. Generally, the cultural methods had no significant influence on the effects of physical weeding in terms of their effect against intrarow weeds. They did not affect the tolerance or robustness of the crop plants against negative impact from the physical control methods. However, generally, seed priming and cultivar choice did improve yield in the leek experiments and seed priming also did so in the one experiment with onion.     

Effect of different weed management systems on the weed populations, and seedbank composition and distribution in tropical coconut plantations

Weeds are a perennial problem in coconut plantations and cause significant losses in the nut yield. The occurrence of a wide range of weeds also causes difficulties in their eradication. The influence of five different weed management practises on the distribution and composition of the soil weed seed bank in coconut plantations in the low-country dry zone of Sri Lanka was evaluated. The treatments imposed included the application of glyphosate (N-[phosphonomethyl]-glycine), cover cropping with Pueraria phaseoloides , tractor harrowing, tractor slashing, and tractor plowing. All the treatments were applied twice per year, except for the cover cropping treatment. In terms of a reduction in the weed biomass, the application of glyphosate and cover cropping ( Pueraria ) were more efficient in reducing the ground weed population. These methods were very effective in reducing the weed seed density in the top soil layers. Plowing and harrowing significantly reduced the seed bank in the top soil layers and shifted significant numbers of weed seeds to deeper soil profiles. However, the total germinated weed seed count increased by 123.5, 691.4, 1133.1, and 1216.5% in the 10–15, 15–20, 20–25, and 25–30 cm soil depths, respectively, compared with the initial germinated weed seed count in the plowing treatment. Considering all the soil layers, the decline in the germinating weed seed count was very high in the treatment plots with cover cropping and the application of glyphosate; thus, these are considered to be the best practises to reduce the germinating weed seed count in the soil of coconut plantations.     

EFFECTS OF ANNUAL WEEDS AND CULTIVATION ON THE YIELD OF PEANUTS*

Summary. Undisturbed natural infestations of annual weeds, mainly Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop, and Richardia scabra L., reduced the yield of harvestable peanuts [groundnuts) by an average of 20% over an 8-year period. Yield reductions in individual years ranged from I to 50%, depending mainly on the density of the weed population. From one to 5%‘non-dirting’ cultivations generally did not reduce yield as compared with hand weeding, unless environmental conditions favoured development of the disease southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.) on uncultivated peanuts.     

Punch planting, flame weeding and stale seedbed for weed control in row crops

Punch planting is introduced as a new method to reduce weeds within rows in organically grown crops. In this method a hole is punched in the soil, and a seed is dropped into it, without seedbed preparation and soil disturbance outside the hole. In 2 years, punch planting with flame weeding, normal planting with flame weeding and normal planting without flame weeding were compared in fodder beet for five planting dates. Each planting date represented a lag‐period since establishment of the stale seedbed. Over all planting times and years, punch planting with flame weeding reduced intra‐row weed densities by 30% at the two to four leaf stage of fodder beet compared with normal drilling with flame weeding. Punch planting with flame weeding also reduced intra‐row weed densities by 50% compared with normal drilling without flame weeding. In general, there was no improved performance of punch planting with flame weeding over years by later planting, but delayed planting reduced intra‐row weed densities significantly. Over 2 years, 240 day degrees Celsius (4 weeks) planting delay reduced intra‐row weed densities in the range of 68–86% depending on plant establishment procedure. Punch planting with flame weeding offers a promising method of weed control in organic farming.     

江苏省镇江市麦田杂草发生情况调查

为了摸清江苏省镇江市麦田杂草种类、分布状况、出草规律、草相变化、防除情况等,通过倒"W"形九点取样法对镇江市麦田杂草进行了调查。调查结果显示镇江市麦田杂草有29科99种,日本看麦娘、菵草、猪殃殃、看麦娘、稻槎菜、硬草、繁缕、大巢菜、荠菜、涩荠、野老鹳草、牛繁缕、早熟禾为该地区主要危害性杂草,其中菵草、日本看麦娘、猪殃殃为麦田杂草群落优势种。不同地形区域杂草种类和优势种不同。镇江市麦田杂草由20世纪90年代初以看麦娘、日本看麦娘和猪殃殃等为主演变为以菵草、日本看麦娘、猪殃殃为主,稻槎菜、硬草、繁缕等发生较重。出草高峰集中在小麦播后15 d左右,具体到镇江来说11月底至12月上旬为杂草发生高峰期。针对镇江本地杂草发生情况,制定了以土壤封闭和茎叶处理相结合的防控技术方案。     

Chemical weed control in rainfed upland rice in Nigeria

Abstract

Two field experiments on chemical weed control in Faro 41 upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) variety were conducted at a rainforest site near the National Cereals Research Institute, Amakama Substation in 1989 and 1990. The herbicides tested were a coformulated mixture of pretilachlor and dimethametryne at 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 kg a.i./ha, a co‐formulated mixture of piperophos and propanil applied at 3.16 and 3.95 kg a.i./ha, and Oxadiazon at 1.0 kg a.i./ha. Two hand weedings and a ‘no weeding’ treatment were included. The herbicides were applied 5 days after planting. All were safely selective to the crop. Most provided adequate weed control through 8–12 weeks after planting. Weeds controlled included Cynodon dactylon, Commelina benghalensis, Dlgitaria horizontalis, Eleusine indica, Panicum maximum and Pennisetum purpureum as grass weeds. The broadleaf weeds were Emilia sonchifolia, Ageratum conyzoides, Portulaca oleraceae, Richardia brasiliensis and Ipomoea Involuncrata. The sedges Mariscus alternifolius and Cyperus esculentus were encountered in the plots. Pretilachlordimethametryne at 2.5 kg a.i./ha had the best weeding score. Twoyear average grain yields of 1.7–2.6 t/ha were obtained from the herbicide treatments. With only 0.4 t/ha from the unweeded treatment, yield losses of more than 80% were recorded.     

Weeds in the traditional slash/mulch practice of frijol tapado: indigenous characterization and ecological implications

Weeds in the secondary vegetation of the fallow in slash/mulch or shifting cultivation systems have been identified as important components of the system. Weeds found in the traditional slash/mulch or frijol tapado bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production system in southern Costa Rica were identified and given preliminary rankings based on fanner surveys. The variance of these rankings was used as a measure of farmer uncertainty. Weed rankings were further characterized by key informant interviews. This study also investigated the ecological implications of the vegetative dynamics in the system. Biomass estimates of individual weed species, nutrient dynamics and crop yield response are considered in conjunction with the farmers' rankings of weeds. A negative correlation was found between weed rankings and bean yield, and between weed rankings and C:N ratios.     

Effects of flame weeding on weed species at different developmental stages

Field experiments to investigate the efficacy of flame weeding were conducted in southern Sweden on a variety of natural weed flora at different developmental stages. The susceptibility of different species and stages was compared by modelling the dose–response with logistic models. Weed species with unprotected growing points and thin leaves such as Chenopodium album L., Stellaria media (L.) Vill. and Urtica urens L. were susceptible. When these plants had 0-4 true leaves, complete kill was achieved at propane doses of 20-50 kg ha^-1. Species with protected growth points such as Capsella bursapastoris (L.) Medic and Chamomilla suaveolens (P.) Rydb. were tolerant due to regrowth after flaming, and they could be completely killed only in the early stages. Poa annua L. could not be completely killed with a single flame treatment, regardless of developmental stage or propane dose. Plant size had a major influence on the lethal dose requirement. Propane doses of 10-40 kg ha^-1 were required to achieve 95% control of plant numbers for sensitive species with 0-4 true leaves, whilst plants with 4-12 leaves required 40-150 kg ha^-1. When flaming naturally emerged weeds at early developmental stages, split applications of two half-dose treatments 1 week apart did not reduce plant numbers as effectively as a single late flame treatment with the same total dose.     

Weeds and weed management in irrigated lentil in northern Sudan

Weeds are a major constraint to increasing production of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) in Sudan, Field studies were conducted to determine the yield loss due to weeds, to identify the critical period of weed interference, to evaluate the activity of different herbicide mixtures in controlting weeds and their selectivity for lentil, and to evaluate different methods of weed control for developing an integrated weed management practice. At Rubatab. unrestricted weed growth accounted for up to 84% loss in yield. The critical period of weed control was between 2 and 4 weeks after sowing. However, a weeding regime experiment at Dongola, a cooler location with a longer growing season, indicated that the critical period was between 4 and 6 weeks after sowing. suggesting that the critical period might vary with the environmental conditions. The herbicides imazethapyr (0.05 kg a.i. ha^-1), terbutryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1) and prometryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1), each in a tank mixture with pendimethalin (1.2 kg a.i. ha^-1), were tolerated by lentil, controlled weeds effectively and significantly increased yields at Wad Hamid. Their efficacy in controlling weeds at Rubatab was low, however, because of the presence of Tephrosia apollinea (Del.) DC. and Melilotus indica (L.) All., which tolerated these herbicides. Efficacy was also reduced in heavier soils. One supplementary hand-weeding at 4 weeks after sowing enhanced the performance of these herbicides under such conditions. A tank mixture of oxyfluorfen (0.24 kg a.i. ha^-1) with either terbutryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1) or prometryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1) also provided good weed control and increased yield of lentil at Wad Hamid. Application of a higher dose (1.5 kg a.i. ha^-1) of terbutryn and prometryn caused phytotoxicity. Irrigation before seed-bed preparation reduced grass and broad-leaved weeds by 58% and 40% respectively, and gave a 30% increase in grain yield over no irrigation. Pre-emergence application of oxyfluorfen (0.24 kg a.i. ha^-1) and a supplementary hand-weeding at 4 weeks after sowing gave excellent control of weeds and increased lentil yield by 57% over the weedy control. Thus, use of presowing irrigation, pre-emergence herbicide and one hand-weeding form an effective integrated package for controiling weeds in northern Sudan.     

灯盏花大田杂草种类调查及防除

经过4年对灯盏花田杂草种类的调查确定,在云南玉溪地区灯盏花田常见杂草有32种,隶属16科,主要杂草是鹅肠菜、野燕麦、长芒棒头草、无芒稗、酸模叶蓼,6月下旬至7月初为发生第1高峰期,10月中至11月下旬为发生第2高峰期,可通过药剂土壤处理、药剂茎叶喷雾防治和人工拔除控制灯盏花田杂草。     

Weed competition in spring-planted strawberries

Annual weeds germinating after planting strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Duch. cv. Cambridge Favourite) in late March had no effect on crop growth if removed by late May. Dense weed cover thereafter severely inhibited stolon growth, virtually eliminating it if allowed to remain beyond mid-August. Shading by weeds inhibited leaf production and caused etiolation of existing leaves. New leaves appeared shortly after weed removal and few plants died unless weed cover persisted for most of the growing season. Further weed germination was allowed on some plots. Although not removed until late autumn, these weeds only had adverse effects on crop growth where initial weeding had occurred before mid-June. In one experiment, delaying weed removal until 6 July, 31 August or 2 November in the first year reduced fruit yield in the second (weed-free) year by 34%, 54% and 67% respectively. In a later experiment, competition from weeds until July or later in the first growing season gave fruit yields similar to those in the first experiment, but totally weed-free plots and those kept clean after weeding in mid-June produced less fruit than plots which remained weedy between mid-June and mid-August. It is suggested that competition from uncontrolled stolon growth in this experiment severely inhibited crown and hence truss production on plots which did not suffer weed competition. Unless left untouched until early September, weeds had less adverse effect on truss production than the stolons which they displaced. The results are interpreted in relation to improving the efficiency of weed control techniques.     

Weed problems and their management in rice fields of Malaysia: An overview

The available literature on weed problems and weed control in rice fields in Malaysia is reviewed and suggestions for future research are included. The problem of weed competition with rice is of great economic importance in the country because it causes a 10–35% reduction in grain yield. About US$4.10 million is spent annually on herbicides for rice alone, and this amounts to approximately 7% of the total expenditure on herbicides. The shift in methods of rice culture from transplanting to direct seeding has magnified the weed problem. The problem of weedy rice is particularly acute in the direct-seeding rice areas. Although a number of sulfonylurea herbicides (e.g. cinosulfuron, metsulfuron, bensulfuron and pyrazosulfuron) have been found to be suitable alternatives to the old herbicide 2,4-D, an integrated weed management program must be developed in order to reduce the problem of herbicide resistance in weeds. Weed control methods that are more friendly to the environment and affordable to farmers must be sought. Weed-competitive and allelopathic rice varieties must be produced. The problem of weeds in rice calls for systematic studies on biotechnological methods of control of weedy rice. Detailed studies on the biology and ecology of notorious rice weeds, particularly Oryza sativa L. (weedy rice), Echinochloa spp., Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees, Fimbristylis miliacea (L.) Vahl. and Limnocharis flava (L.) Buch. need to be done in order to formulate successful weed control measures.