Successful open field crop production depends on good weed management practices.  Controlling weeds forms part of the total crop management program which includes other activities such as pest and disease management and general hygiene.  The planning of a weed management control program is much easier than planning pest and disease management programs.  The reasons are that [...]

Soil-herbicide chemical degradation The soil-herbicde chemical decomposition are those processes that are not influenced by microbes.  Chemical breakdown processes are Oxidation Reduction Hydrolysis Herbicides that are applied in wet soils with low oxygen will not be degraded through oxidation since those soils have low oxygen levels. Physical processes of herbicide degradation Soil-herbicide physical decomposition are processes such [...]

The problem with weeds is that they have a negative impact on bottom line of the farming business.  Quite often growers don't have enough deeper knowledge to understand just how much it affects yields, quality and efficiency of the whole farm. Competition All plants exert some type of competition on each other.  The competition can be in [...]

After applying a herbicide to a field with weeds, the herbicide needs to follow a certain path in order for it to be effective. Firstly it has to be absorbed through the leaf cuticle Secondly the herbicide must be trans-located through the plant in order to have any effect on plant growth.  Any chemical that [...]

The selection of herbicides is not always based on the weed that it should control.  There are many conditions in the environment that will influence the grower or user’s decision to use a specific herbicide.  For instance, the length that the herbicide will be active in the soil will be of major importance with vegetable [...]

Once the active ingredient of the herbicide has been developed it has to be presented to the user in a format which will be both economical and effective. Many companies provide the growers with a herbicide in different formulations depending on the application. The different formulations are used in order to vary the volatility, solubility, [...]

Characteristics of each chemical group differs from each other so it is important to know to what group a herbicide belongs before applying it to a plant. Active ingredient will also provide an indication of lead time before a crop can he safely harvested.  There are so many ways of classifying herbicides that we decided [...]

General classification of weeds Most farmers use a different method of classifying weeds since it is easier to understand and separate each weed from another in order to control them. Classification according to growth season length Annuals: These weeds complete their life-cycle in one year. Due to the abundance of dormant seed and fast growth of [...]