Exploring the potential of electric weed control: a review

Abstract

Weed management is a significant challenge that must be addressed both globally and in Australia, where traditional methods of control have become limited. The avoidance of mechanical practices has resulted in reduced erosion but has also led to an increased reliance on chemicals and a subsequent increase in rates of herbicide resistance. To address this challenge, alternative forms of weed management, such as electric weed control (electro-weeding), need to be considered. Electric weed control functions by transferring electrical current through the target plant following electrode contact, causing the plant’s cells to burst and either killing the plant or suppressing its growth. However, a multitude of variables, such as electrical power and speed of application, weed morphology, and site-specific environmental conditions, can impact the use of electric weed control and its efficacy. While electric weed control holds promise, and despite its recent global popularity with numerous companies producing machinery, the applicability, efficacy, and risks of using electric weed control internationally and in Australia have yet to be thoroughly analyzed. Given the existing knowledge gaps, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and recent advances in electric weed control. Additionally, the review discusses the potential for resistance development and safety risks associated with electric weed control and presents an overview of modern machines and their application in various settings. It also highlights the need for further research to determine the applicability and efficacy of implementing this new weed control method before widespread adoption and integration into pest management strategies.

Pots to Plots: Microshock Weed Control Is an Effective and Energy Efficient Option in the Field

“…The design of our application equipment means that, up to a system limited maximum discharge current, the energy discharge (E p ) is controlled by the voltage (V), the total discharge time (t c ) and the resistance of the plant/soil machine circuit (R v ). Slaven et al [63] relate these factors in the formula presented as Equation ( 2).…”

The Electric Spatula: Killing Weeds with Pulsed Microshocks from a Flat-Plate Electrode

“…Electrical weeding technology typically uses very high electrical current treatments and attributes control to resistive heating, causing cell damage, boiling, and disruption [19,[31][32][33]. These methods are characterised by a rapid impact on plants, with steam or flames often reported.…”

“…Our focus has been on electric weeding, which we have previously discussed [11,18]. Slavin et al [19] provided a thorough review of the methods and equipment commercially available in 2023.…”

Laser weeding: opportunities and challenges for couch grass (Elymus repens (L.) Gould) control

“…IWM can potentially reduce the environmental impact of individual weed management practices and reduce the selection pressure of herbicide resistance 7 . Mechanical weeding is widely used in organic crop production, but there are many other methods which can reduce the selection pressure for herbicide resistance, such as electric weeding 8 , steaming 9 , and flaming 10 . Furthermore, small autonomous weeding robots have been developed to replace tractors and compensate for the lack of agricultural labor power 11 , 12 .…”