Weed control, prospective aspects
2000
Wevers, J.D.A. (Institute of Sugar Beet Research, Bergen op Zoom (Netherlands))
Weed control in sugar beet is developing continually. Some European colleagues have given their opinion on the future, suggesting that the relative importance of chemical weed control will decrease because of the reduction in the number of registered herbicides and an increase in the acreage grown organically. The first will result in an incomplete chemical solution, leading to a need to apply non-chemical techniques. An important point in the future will be the acceptance of the genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops and this is foreseen by all respondents. Of non-chemical solutions, mechanical and physical weed control, enhanced by high-tech developments, will be the most important ones. However, the pressure to grow sugar beet more cost effectively and the high energy requirement of mechanical systems might conflict with this. For biological control no real practical solutions will be available in the coming decade, apart from an increase in the use of crop competition. In general, the chemical methods of weed control will be replaced by a range of other solutions for reducing weed competition in sugar beet. The extent of this replacement is likely to vary with the diverse ways that sugar beet growing will develop.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]