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project - EIP-AGRI Operational Group

Weed control with reduced use of herbicides on horticultural crops for industry and arable crops - Dune

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Completed | 2023 - 2024 Italy
Completed | 2023 - 2024 Italy

Objectives

The general objective of this plan is the validation of innovative and sustainable technical strategies that lead to a reduction in the contributions of pollutants from the management of weeds in the sector of industrial horticultural crops and arable crops in the Emilia-Romagna area.
Technical paths will be evaluated to reduce the use of chemical weeding such as the use of cover crops and mechanical weeding; the possibility of using alternative techniques to plowing will also be evaluated according to the degree of containment of the infesting flora.

Activities

1) Evaluation of the degree of effectiveness of different types of cover crops with autumn sowing as an agronomic means of controlling the weeds on arable spring sowing crops.
2) Evaluation of the degree of effectiveness of different types of mechanical control of the weeds on arable crops and horticultural crops for industry.
3) Definition of sustainable technical lines for the management of weeds built on the basis of the evaluations of technical, economic and environmental sustainability of the various agronomic and mechanical control techniques.

Project details
Main funding source
Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups
Rural Development Programme
2014IT06RDRP003 Italy - Rural Development Programme (Regional) - Emilia-Romagna
Location
Main geographical location
Ferrara
Other geographical location
Ravenna, Bologna

EUR 249943.75

Total budget

Total contributions from EAFRD, national co-financing, additional national financing and other financing.

Project keyword

Resources

2 Practice Abstracts

Final outcomes

The project, structured into three experimental actions, explored the role of cover crops in weed control in spring-summer field crops, the development of techniques to reduce and optimize herbicide use in field and industrial vegetable crops, and the definition of sustainable guidelines for weed management.

• Various cover crops were tested for weed control. At one experimental site, they were ineffective due to delays in seedbed preparation and poor weather conditions, while at another experimental site they ensured good weed control and proper seedbed preparation. This comparison helped to define guidelines for the effective weed managing  using cover crops.

• three different mechanical techniques were tested on wheat, maize, and tomatoes, aiming to reduce the herbicide use. The "biosovesciatore" showed effectiveness equal to the conventional plowing for annual weeds, while the conventional plowing proved a better efficacy for perennials. Optical-guided weeders were more efficient for weed control on tomato.

• Economic analysis of the alternative techniques evaluated, shows that the innovations are sustainable for wheat and soyabean, but improvements in tomato yields are needed. The environmental analysis showed the benefits of using cover crops, confirming an higher impact with glyphosate use.

The results expected from the Project will concern the identification and validation of alternative technical paths to the use of synthetic herbicides alone in the control of weeds both in the pre-sowing and pre-emergence and in the post-emergence periods.

With regard to the pre-sowing periods, on the one hand the indications for an effective use of autumn sowing cover crops will be provided, on the other hand the operations of preparation of the seedbed will be evaluated as alternatives to the classic plowing (double layer processing) as a function of weed control.

In the post-emergency period, the focus will be on the control of weeds by mechanical means, in particular the technical indications will be provided for the control of narrow rows crops (e.g. wheat), and for wide rows crops (e.g. industrial tomato, corn, soybean, sunflower, sorghum).

The different technical paths of weed control will also be evaluated in terms of environmental and economic sustainability; this, together with the results and previous experiences of the working group, especially in organic farming, will allow us to provide guidelines for the application of sustainable techniques, both from a technical, environmental and economic point of view, for the management of weeds.

Contacts

Project coordinator

Project partners

  • ASTRA Innovazione e Sviluppo

    Project partner

    nicola.minerva@astrainnovazione.it +39 0546 47169 Via Tebano, 45, 48018 Faenza (RA) Research institute

  • Consorzio Agrario di Ravenna

    Project partner

    allegri@consorzioagrarioravenna.it +39 340 693 2960 Via Madonna di Genova 39, 48033 Cotignola (RA)
    Farm holder

  • Dinamica S.C.ar.l.

    Project partner

    info@dinamica.fp.it +39 051 360747 Via Vittorio Bigari, 3, 40128 Bologna (BO) Other

  • Ri.Nova Soc. Coop.

    Project partner

    mgtommasini@rinova.eu +39 344 207 3806 Via dell'Arrigoni, 120, 47522 Cesena (FC) Research institute

  • Società Agricola Fattoria dell'Agape

    Project partner

    g.ghirar@libero.it +39 380 184 0928 Via Ribega, 14, 44027 Migliarino (FE)
    Farm holder