WEED CONTROL STRATEGIES UNDER FILM CROP COVERS

Early outdoor planted crops established under film covers need to be kept weed free to maximise yield and earliness.
Growers are cautious regarding herbicide use beneath both perforated polyethylene and nonwoven polypropylene covers due to any possible effect on plant vigour.
Trials were undertaken to assess the effect of mulches and a range of herbicides on weed control, yield and quality for cauliflower and lettuce.
The potential for applying herbicides through nonwoven polypropylene covers for celery was also assessed.

For cauliflower the use of a black polyethylene mulch reduced crop yield, compared to the hand weeded control.
A tank mix of pendimethalin and propachlor gave both good weed control and high marketable yields.
For lettuce, a combination of propyzamide with either propachlor or trifluralin enhanced weed control.
For celery, applications of linuron through polypropylene crop covers at first weed emergence in May and repeated in early June gave very uniform weed control and increased marketable yield in 1990.

VII International Symposium on Timing Field Production of Vegetables

J.S. Davies, J.K. Hembry

Herbicides, nonwoven, polypropylene, polyethylene, celery, cauliflower, lettuce

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1994.371.36