Abstract
Through its rural development policy, the EU aims to help rural areas cope with the many economic, social and environmental challenges that the 21st century brings. Weeds are a major scourge for farmers who cultivate organic leguminous crops in rural areas, which often have to invest in many weed control methods in order to increase crop yields. The paper presents innovative technical equipment for weed control through a process involving the blasting of young weeds with small fragments of organic material by means of air compressor and granular material distribution system that degrades in depth both the strain and the leaves of the weeds. Organic materials that can be used in weed blasting are walnut shells, granulated corn cobs, glauconite (also found in Romania) and soy flour. An additional advantage of the equipment is the potential for farmers in rural areas to use organic fertilizers, such as soy flour, as blasting material.
Highlights
The role of organic farming is to produce food appropriate to the metabolism of the human body in close connection with the development of the environment, in respect for nature and its laws [1].Combating weeds under the conditions of an organic farming, especially among vegetable crops, must be approached with great care, because it can affect soil quality, degrade organic matter and accelerate the erosion, which leads to influencing production productivity and profitability [2].The strategies and technologies used by organic farmers vary according to crops, soils, climate and other factors
Seeking to respond to the demands of farmers who want to take appropriate measures for the correct application of natural, ecological products for combating weeds in vegetable crops through the blasting method, currently INMA in collaboration with ICDPP is conducting under a research contract with the project ”Integrated system environmental management (SIM) of phytosanitary risks by complex methods of sustainable management of agroecosystems”, which led to the design of a blasting equipment
For designing the technical equipment for weed blasting, which consists of a blasting machine connected to a compressed air compressor mounted on a frame worn on the threepoint suspension mechanism of a 45-hp tractor on wheels, it was used the SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software, developed by Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation [9]
Summary
The role of organic farming is to produce food appropriate to the metabolism of the human body in close connection with the development of the environment, in respect for nature and its laws [1]. A study based on research carried out over two consecutive years of abrasive weed control in a corn crop with granulated corn cobs has shown that the biomass of weeds can be substantially reduced and can help to maintain production, due to the fact that the cob particles (Fig.1) are valuable first because they are very absorbent, biodegradable, renewable and abrasive [6]. Seeking to respond to the demands of farmers who want to take appropriate measures for the correct application of natural, ecological products for combating weeds in vegetable crops through the blasting method, currently INMA in collaboration with ICDPP is conducting under a research contract with the project ”Integrated system environmental management (SIM) of phytosanitary risks by complex methods of sustainable management of agroecosystems”, which led to the design of a blasting equipment
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