Thermal, mechanical and chemical control of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in different habitats

Abstract

A small plot field experiment with transplanted ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) into gravel and grassland and a large scale field experiment on a roadside banquette in Brandenburg with a natural ragweed infestation were carried out. Thermal control treatments were hot air (gravel and grassland) and hot water (roadside) and flaming, the mechanical treatment was mowing and the chemical treatment was the application of the herbicide combination MCPA and Dicamba. The gravel and grassland experiment was conducted at two growth stages of ragweed (BBCH 16-18 and 22-29), at the roadside ragweed was at BBCH 50-65. Dry matter yield of ragweed was assessed 9 weeks after the treatments were conducted in gravel and grassland and 4 weeks after the treatment at the roadside. In gravel and grassland the best eradication at both growth stages by thermal control was achieved by hot air in comparison to the untreated plots (significant at P <0.05). And at the roadside significant lower dry matter was determined by hot water and flaming in comparison to the untreated plots (significant at P <0.05). The results of these experiments demonstrated the efficiency of thermal control methods based on hot air and hot water as an alternative to herbicide control and mowing in habitats where herbicide application is not allowed or mowing gives no sufficient eradication results, like on roadside banquettes.

Keywords

• banquette
• grassland
• gravel
• IPM
• non-cropping area