B. Melander, INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SOIL CULTIVATION IN DARKNESS, FLAMING AND BRUSH WEEDING WHEN USED FOR IN-ROW WEED-CONTROL IN VEGETABLES, Biological agriculture & horticulture, 16(1), 1998, pp. 1-14
The interacting effects of combining seedbed harrowing and sowing in d
arkness, pre-emergence flaming and post-emergence brush weeding for in
-row weed control in seeded onions (Allium cepa L. and kale (Brassica
oleraceae L.) var. acephala DC. subvar, laciniata L.) were studied in
field trials in 1994 and 1995. In 1994, only seedbed harrowing and sow
ing in darkness, and brush weeding significantly reduced weed number a
nd none of the factors studied interacted significantly. The combinati
on of seedbed harrowing and sowing in darkness, and brush weeding redu
ced weed number by 90% in onions and 84% in kale. Soil cultivation in
darkness had no effect on weed numbers in 1995. As in 1994, brush weed
ing reduced in-row weed number strongly and the combination of flaming
and brush weeding reduced weed number in onions by 85%. In kale the c
ombination of seedbed harrowing and sowing in darkness and brush weedi
ng was most effective with a 72% reduction. Contrary to 1994, flaming
interacted strongly with crop in 1995, as weed number was significantl
y reduced in the slow emerging onions but not in the fast emerging kal
e. Generally, brush weeding did not interact with the other methods, m
eaning that the pre-emergence methods had neither increased nor decrea
sed the effects of brush weeding. However, in this study the overall e
ffects of combining pre- and postemergence methods have shown promise
for obtaining significant reductions in the time required for in-row h
and-weeding in row crops grown without herbicides.