Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness of Weed Flaming in Orchards
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the response and cost of weed flaming in different fruit orchards. Six different propane doses (15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 kg ha-1) were applied to determine the response of 6 dicotyledon and 3 monocotyledon weed species to flaming in apricot, walnut, and mixed fruit orchard. Dose-response relationships were determined using log-logistic model for 50%, 80%, and 90% control rates at 1, 7 and 14 days after treatment (DAT) at 2–4, 6–8 and 10–12 leaf (L) growth stages. Flaming at early stage of weed growth (2–4 L) resulted in 90% control of all dicotyledon weeds at 14 DAT with propane doses ranging from 35.0 to 65.8 kg ha-1, while this range was from 28.6 to 54.9 kg ha-1 at 80%, suggesting approximately 15–20% less propane use for 80% weed control compared to 90% control. Monocotyledon weeds were resistant to thermal stress even at 2–4 L stage and could be controlled at 14 DAT with propane dose from 125.7 to 210.9 kg ha-1 at 90% control rate and 74.6 to 133.4 kg ha-1 at 80% control rate. The cost of weed flaming was compared to the spraying application using partial budgeting method. Flaming costs (30.6 and 34.4 $ ha-1) for dicotyledon weeds at 80% and 90% weed control rates were comparable to herbicide application at 2-4 L stage, whereas flaming was found costly than chemical spraying at other growth stages for any weed species.
Keywords
Broadcast flaming, dose-response, orchard, weed control, cost
References
- Cisnenos JJ, and Zandstra BH (2008) Flame weeding effects on several weed species. Weed Tech. 22(2), 290-295.
- Cohen B (2006). Flame-weeding: a hot alternative to herbicides. J. Pesticide Reform. 26, 6-7.
- Dominges AC, Ulloa SM, Datta A, and Knezevic SZ (2008). Weed response to broadcast flaming. In RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences. 3 (1), 1-10.
- Ghantous KM (2013). Use of flame cultivation as a nonchemical weed control in cranberry cultivation. PhD Dissertation. University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.
- Güleç D, Arslan S, and Tursun N (2015). The use of different gas injectors for developing flame cultivator torches. J Agric. Mach. Sci., 11(3), 231-237 (in Turkish).
- Laguë C, Gill J, Lehoux N, and Péloquin G (1997). Engineering performances of propane flamers used for weed, insect pest, and plant disease control. Applied Eng. in Agric. 13(1), 7-16.
- Khanh TD, Chung MI, Xuan TD, and Tawata S (2005). The exploitation of crop allelopathy in sustainable Agricultural production. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 191: 172-184.
- Knezevic SZ, and Ulloa SM (2007). Potential new tool for weed control in organically grown agronomic crops. J. Agric. Sci. 52(2), 95-104.
- Knezevic SZ, Streibig JC, and Ritz C (2007). Utilizing R software package for dose-response studies: the concept and data analysis. Weed Tech. 21, 840-848.
- Knezevic SZ, Datta A, Obradovic A, Scott J, and Nedeljkovic D (2012). Propane-fueled flame weeding in corn, soybean, and sunflower. The Propane Education and Research Council and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.