Physical and Cultural Weed Control Working Group of - European ...

9 th EWRS Workshop on Physical and Cultural Weed Control 94
Samsun, Turkey, 28 – 30 March 2011
weed emergence during the first weeks after crop emergence in small seeded direct-sown crops and
methods to control in-row weeds with high selectivity.
Round table discussion
After a general introduction we focussed on discussing a few topics.
We concluded that small scale technique for weed control is interesting for small scale farmers
regardless of country. There are many examples of farmers having 1-3 hectares, often many crops,
who have neither the financial means nor the skill to work and invest in expensive machinery.
Nevertheless, they are interested in decreasing the use of hand weeding.
The machines should be adapted to local conditions. These conditions comprise both agronomical
conditions such as soil and crop, as well as the skill of the farmer and his ability to repair and
maintain the equipment.
In some geographical areas chemical weed control is the method most used. Hence, to replace
spraying, the non-chemical technique must be introduced to the farmers and supported by education
and sometimes with economic support.
Pieter Bleeker from the Netherlands initiated a discussion on some specialised techniques by
highlighting some research on cluster seeding and mulching. Cluster seeding is a novel technique
that seems promising for direct seeding of bulb onions. Dutch experiments have shown the
possibility to use this method in organic production.
Mulching on top of the seeds is another promising technique. A specialised machine for large scale
production is developed and evaluated in the Netherlands in cooperation between a farmer, a
machinery company and weed scientist. A 2 cm layer of weed-free compost is applied on top of the
seeds instead of ordinary topsoil. The crop seeds are thus emerging through a weed-free compost
layer. The Dutch results so far have shown about 80 per cent weed reductions. A similar technique
is evaluated in Sweden.