Assessment of the effect of broad-spectrum pre-emergence herbicides in poplar nurseries

This study examines the response of three pre-emergence herbicides (tiazopi r, oxifluorfen, pendimethalin) used on unsprouted cuttings of the clone 'I- 214' (Populus x euramericana). The effect of the herbicide both on the popl ar and on the weeds was assessed. The three herbicides performed well in th e case of both the variables (selectivity and effectiveness). The developme nt of the trees were recorded over two growing seasons, during which there was a chemical intervention in the first year, but no treatment during the second year. A second application of these herbicides does not seem to be n eeded from the point of view of competition between the weeds and the culti vated crop. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.