Abstract
Typically, low-pressure sprayers are used to uniformly apply pre- and post-emergent herbicides to control weeds in crop rows. An innovative machine for weed control in inter-row and intra-row areas, with a unique combination of inter-row cultivation tooling and intra-row band spraying for six rows and an electro-hydraulic side-shift frame controlled by a GPS system, was developed and evaluated. Two weed management strategies were tested in the field trials: broadcast spraying (the conventional method) and band spraying with mechanical weed control using RTK-GPS (the experimental method). This approach enabled the comparison between treatments from the perspective of cost savings and efficacy in weed control for a sugar beet crop. During the 2010–2011 season, the herbicide application rate (112 L ha−1) of the experimental method was approximately 50% of the conventional method, and thus a significant reduction in the operating costs of weed management was achieved. A comparison of the 0.2-trimmed means of weed population post-treatment showed that the treatments achieved similar weed control rates at each weed survey date. Sugar beet yields were similar with both methods (p = 0.92). The use of the experimental equipment is cost-effective on ≥20 ha of crops. These initial results show good potential for reducing herbicide application in the Spanish beet industry.
Highlights
Weeds compete with crops for nutrients, water and light and may reduce yield significantly, especially during early growth, and impair crop quality, resulting in financial losses to the farmer [1,2].Typically, the selection of a weed control method is determined based on crop variety and condition, weed type and size and available equipment [3]
The Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna mounting location on the frame and the open nature of the sugar beet field enabled an unobstructed view of the sky during the entire trial
This condition allowed for optimal signal reception regardless of satellite geometry, and RTK GPS fixation was obtained for the recording of all passes during this experiment
Summary
Weeds compete with crops for nutrients, water and light and may reduce yield significantly, especially during early growth, and impair crop quality, resulting in financial losses to the farmer [1,2]. The selection of a weed control method is determined based on crop variety and condition, weed type and size and available equipment [3]. Chemical methods are frequently used because they control a broad spectrum of weed species. Precision and automation in weed control technology development have been motivated by increased consumer demand for organic produce as well as consumer and regulatory demands reducing the environmental degradation caused by excessive pesticide and fertilizer usage. Farmers have experienced a decrease in the availability of workers willing to perform manual tasks such as hand weeding. Alternatives have been developed to reduce or eliminate herbicide applications, a step that is required for organic production [4,5,6,7]
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