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Optimising strategies for weed control in medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation
Project
Project code: 22015618
Contract period: 01.07.2019
- 30.06.2022
Budget: 323,396 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
The key objective of this proposal is to substantially improve mechanical weed control in sensitive medicinal and aromatic plants to avoid or reduce the use of herbicides. Test crops include species with low weed competition such as lemon balm, arnica, parsley, pure chamomile and angelica. For that purpose the efficacy of existing weeding tools such as tine harrow, finger weeder, torsion weeder, rotary harrow and rigging hiller will be improved. In a first step individual tools will be optimised with respect to timing and settings according to site specific conditions (soil, crop and weed development) in test fields. In a second step the identified optimal operating conditions for individual tools will be compared in field trials with respect to efficacy. This approach is innovative since generally weeding tools are compared at the same date. In addition a range of indirect and direct weed control methods will be tested in field trials with sown lemon balm and pure chamomile including false seed bed, repeated stubble tillage and sterilized seed rows either induced by heat or by use of sterile compost. Results from the different weed control tactics will be combined in site specific strategies that are assumed to have a higher efficacy. It is expected that farmers growing medicinal plants with low weed competition wishing to avoid herbicide use will largely benefit from the developed strategies.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Protection
- Specialised crops
