No time to step back when it comes to weed control – Tillage and Soils
Having a varied toolbox available for weed control in cereal crops is becoming more and more essential ...
An interest in mechanical weed control as an extra element of crop protection is important in conventional farming due to increased resistance to active substances and the decline in the number of active substances available. Getting to grips with the weeds in good time during the cotyledon stage is also crucial to the effectiveness of weed control.
The new Flexi Hood concept alongside Garford’s range of technologically advanced mechanical weed control products, including its Robocrop Precision Guide Hoes, InRow Weeders and standard Hooded Sprayers were on show at Cereals.
With over 20 years of hoeing experience, having brought many innovations to market, from the Robocrop vision guidance system to the compact hydraulic side shift mechanism, the Robocrop Side Shift, the Robocrop guidance system allows for accurate and efficient hoeing and chemical application for both in row and inter-row weed management and prevention control. The system uses video cameras and image analysis computers to locate crop position and then guide the hoes quickly and accurately.
Garford Farm Machinery, have also teamed up with Warwickshire based electrical weed control manufacturer RootWave, and announced a new agreement that will bring next generation weeding technology to UK and international markets.
The new agreement will see the two manufacturers co-develop new weeding technology and products, integrating electrical weeding into precision guided toolbar systems, for high-value and high-intensive crops as well as broadacre arable applications.
The RootWave system uses electricity to boil weeds and their roots. This makes electrical weeding highly effective and, because it is non-chemical and does not disturb the soil, it is compatible with both organic and regenerative farming systems.
RootWave’s patented high-frequency alternating-current is orders of magnitude safer than direct-current, typically used in electrical weed control.
The new eWeeding technology is set to provide a cost-effective and high-performance solution, creating financial and environmental benefits, while supporting better quality crops that are not competing against weeds.
Garford has calculated that by using the eWeeding technology, across a variety of different systems, estimated costs would come in between £55 to £120 per hectare, significantly lower than chemical herbicide costs.
From grants, such as the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) or Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), available to farmers in England, it would further reduce these cost estimates and make the solution attractive to smaller farming enterprises.
RootWave CEO Andrew Diprose said, “Combining forces with Garford allows us to create a formidable solution for the industry, combining best-in-class power electronics, imaging and artificial intelligence to create an unrivalled weed control solution for vegetables, cereals and row-crops. It will alleviate the worries of farmers who are faced with an uncertain future where they don’t know if herbicides will be available or will even be effective due to safety and resistance issues.”
Garford managing director Jonathan Henry said, “We are incredibly excited to pair Garford’s vast experience in precision guided hoes, with RootWave’s world leading expertise in power electronics. With the increasingly stringent controls over the use of chemical weed management, alongside resistance issues, we can support UK and global agriculture as it embraces its environmental responsibilities. Combining our technologically advanced precision guided weed control solutions, with the benefits of RootWave’s high frequency alternating current electrical weeding technology, we can create commercially viable and effective solutions to growers, as a key part of a sustainable, integrated weed management system.”
Autumn challenges
Weed control has always been challenging but has become even more difficult because of the decline in herbicide availability, a lack of new modes of action, the presence of herbicides in the water courses and increasing resistance.
Consequently, to improve weed management we need to get the most out of cultural control and maximise herbicide performance, keep weed populations low for good weed and resistance management and plan weed control across the whole population. For weed control, the challenge is to integrate crop choice and rotation, drilling date, cultivation method, herbicide use, resistance management and environmental protection. These issues are also interrelated; for instance, a range of different crop species widens both chemical and cultural opportunities to control grass and broad-leaved weeds. Properly managed weed control through a rotation can reduce costs while limiting the build-up of resistance, maintain yield, protect water quality and enhance diversity.
Arable land has a bank of seeds sitting in the soil waiting to germinate, as the weeds have become increasingly resistant to herbicides, we must stop them emerging in the crop. A good stale seedbed will provide the ideal environment for the seeds to germinate so they can be sprayed off before the crop is planted.
The interval between harvesting one crop and drilling the next is important as a non-selective herbicide can be used on emerged weeds. It is also important to know when the expected flush of weeds is going to arrive so farmers can plan drilling and the application of their residual treatment. The effectiveness of delayed drilling will depend on the germination period of the weeds. Before drilling farmers must aim to kill all the emerged weed seedlings using a combination of non-selective herbicide and cultivations.
Dick Neale of Hutchinsons has warned that this year we must not expect that stale seedbeds will give us the same treatment as they once did. Consequently, he is expecting the bulk germination of blackgrass seeds to occur later in the season at the end of October or the beginning of November. “As a result of this the key is to getting the timing right by applying the residual treatment at the end of October and sowing the crop at the beginning of November.” He concluded that farmers must ensure they have the right machinery to ensure that the soil is in good condition for such late sowing.
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