BAND SPRAYING, SELECTIVE FLAME WEEDING AND HOEING IN LATE WHITE CABBAGE – PART I

As a partial report from a comprehensive series of investigations on equipment and methods for non-chemical and integrated weed control, this paper presents results from laboratory experiments and from field trials in late white cabbage crops.
Some special equipment for selective band flaming was designed and tested.
A prototype tractor-trailed flamer, developed on the basis of basic research conducted, was compared to a Swedish sprayer specially made for in-the-row (= intra row) spraying and several types of mechanical between-the-row (= inter row) weeders.

Part I of the present article deals with the development and subsequent improvement of equipment and methods, mainly for selective band flaming, while Part II reports on the three year comprehensive field experiments in cabbage crops.

All methods were simple to operate.
However, with the brush hoe further investigations are needed to find the right combination of driving speed and rotational speed.
An automatic steering system for rear mounted equipment had to be developed.
With a view to operator hazards, flamers may not be manually steered nor mid-mounted on the tractor. (Moreover, both alternatives are expensive.)

The ITF burner and flaming system proved suited for selective in-the-row band flaming in late white cabbage crops.

Symposium on Engineering as a Tool to reduce Pesticide Consumption and Operator Hazards in Horticulture

R. Holmøy, J. Netland

Weed control, Developing equipment, methods, Flaming, Band spraying, Steering, rear mounted hoes, Dose response

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1994.372.26