IWMPRAISE (Integrated Weed Management: PRActical Implementation and Solutions for Europe) has produced its fourth newsletter, bringing readers up to date with the latest news from the Horizon 2020 project. The project is now entering its fourth and penultimate year and 2020 should have seen the finalisation of experiments and a plethora of workshops and open days, activities which were rendered impossible by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Coordinator Per Kudsk, from Denmark’s Aarhus University (pictured right), explains to readers that the executive committee hopes to meet physically in the next six months. “We will discuss what can be done next year to make up for this year’s many cancellations,” he writes. “Meanwhile, I will invite everyone interested in IWM to visit our website or one of the eight national websites and to contact the IWMPRAISE partners to find out more about the project.
“The next phase of the project is very much focused on finalising ongoing research activities, summarise the results, and develop IWM guidelines," he adds. "The generic nature of weed management and the categorical approach that we have chosen for IWMPRAISE means that the results generated so far not only provide new knowledge about IWM in a particular crop. The results will also be used for scenario building and modelling to assess the long-term effects of different IWM strategies e.g. on the diversity of the weed flora and the risk of herbicide resistance. These activities will receive even more attention now that more results are available.
“Furthermore, the economic sustainability of IWM strategies will be assessed also using a scenario building approach. In parallel to these activities, we will continue to disseminate our results and interact with stakeholders.”
The newsletter also offers access to updates from the project. This includes 40 methods and strategies for weed management in cereals, sugar beets, maize, potatoes and field vegetables that have been suggested for immediate use following investigations by the project’s innovation hub.
Researchers report: “These management strategies all lead to substantial reductions in herbicide input and in some cases even in totally herbicide-free solutions. In addition, fifteen innovative tools have been explored and listed separately as methods under development, but which may become implementable during the lifetime of IWMPRAISE.”
The immediately available approaches include delayed sowing, stale seedbeds and seed rate in winter wheat, inter-row hoeing and flame weeding in sugar beet (the latter is useful for field vegetables, too) and the use of weed harrows, inter-row hoeing, finger weeding and torsion weeding in maize.
The newsletter also examines the mechanical weeding technologies suitable for vineyard use. Researchers note that their efficacy depends on multiple factors, including soil type, the weeds targeted and how established the vegetation is. Options include weeding machinery using blades, mowers, tillers, discs and fingers.
For more information:
Last update: 24/05/2023 - ENDURE © 2009 - Contact ENDURE - Disclaimer