Abstract
Integrated weed management (IWM) has been part of cranberry cultivation since its inception in the early 19th century. Proper site and cultivar selection, good drainage, rapid vine establishment, and hand weeding are as important now for successful weed management as when the industry first started. In 1940, Extension publications listed eight herbicides (e.g., petroleum-based products, inorganic salts and sulfates) for weed control. Currently, 18 herbicides representing 11 different modes of action are registered for use on cranberries. Nonchemical methods, such as hand weeding, sanding, flooding, and proper fertilization, remain integral for managing weed populations; new tactics such as flame cultivation have been added to the toolbox. Priority ratings have been developed to aid in weed management planning. Despite many efforts, biological control of weeds remains elusive on the commercial scale. Evaluation of new herbicides, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), image analysis, and precision agriculture technology; investigation of other management practices for weeds and their natural enemies; utilization of computational decision making and Big Data; and determination of the impact of climate change are research areas whose results will translate into new use recommendations for the weed control of cranberry.
Highlights
The American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) has a native range that extends from the temperate climates in the North Central U.S and the Canadian province of Ontario to the U.S.East Coast and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and the Atlantic Maritimes [1]
Speculation is that the increased use of selective fungicides and/or the reduction or elimination of broad spectrum fungicides for fruit rot control are conserving the natural enemies of dodder and the populations of the parasitic plant are reduced to a tolerable level
Many of the target weeds can be controlled with glyphosate, but Flame cultivation (FC) can be less expensive and used in organic situations, and cranberry vines can recover from treatment with FC, whereas glyphosate treatments are often lethal [81]
Summary
The American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) has a native range that extends from the temperate climates in the North Central U.S and the Canadian province of Ontario to the U.S. In the decades following the inception of cranberry cultivation in 1816 [11,12], cranberry growers used similar tactics for weed management as growers of annual crops, such as hand weeding and the occasional application of chemicals such as sulfuric acid and copper sulfate. The inability to implement many conventional weed management strategies is due to the physical characteristic of historical and current cranberry horticulture: the production and maintenance of a continuous canopy of vegetation. This horticultural system is in stark contrast to the conventional modes employed in many agronomic and specialty crops, which use and optimize rows of plants. The successes and challenges of implementing weed control strategies in cranberries, through the lens of history, research, and extension, are discussed below
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