Integrating preventive and curative non‐chemical weed control strategies for concrete block pavements

Abstract

Reduction in herbicide use in non-agricultural areas is being imposed by a growing number of governments, triggering the development of alternative strategies for weed prevention and control. This study aimed to determine the weed preventive abilities of different paving types, the required treatment frequency of non-chemical weed control scenarios on these pavements and the associated weed species composition. A test parking area, constructed with four concrete paving types, was sown with a mixture of dominant weed species. Six scenarios with repeated use of a single weed control method (brushing with waste removal, hot air, selective application of hot water and three scenarios with flaming) and two scenarios with alternating use of brushes and hot air were applied to control the weeds during two growing seasons. Treatments were applied at well-defined intervention moments, based upon weed development. Over 2years, the paving types differed in weed coverage (up to a fourfold difference) and required varying treatment frequency (up to a 11-fold difference) with lowest values for pavings with porous pavers. Within most paving types, up to 28% lower treatment frequencies were found for selective application of hot water, as compared with all other single method scenarios. Shifts in weed composition occurred in plots treated repeatedly with the same technique. Paving type determined the chances for the establishment of different weed species and alternating non-chemical control methods with different modes of action offered the best opportunity to keep weeds under control

Effectiveness of water permeable joint filling materials for weed prevention in paved areas

“…Newly constructed pavements can be designed to prevent weed establishment and development (Guldemond et al ., ; Rask & Kristoffersen, ; Boonen et al ., ). Weed growth is affected by the amount of open area between pavers (joint width) and the availability of light, water and nutrients (Benvenuti, ; Kempenaar et al ., ; Fagot et al ., ; De Cauwer et al ., ). The amount of open area is determined by the type of modular paving element (De Cauwer et al ., ).…”

“…Weed growth is affected by the amount of open area between pavers (joint width) and the availability of light, water and nutrients (Benvenuti, ; Kempenaar et al ., ; Fagot et al ., ; De Cauwer et al ., ). The amount of open area is determined by the type of modular paving element (De Cauwer et al ., ). The water and nutrient availability is determined by the type of joint sealing material filled into the joints and organic contamination level (De Cauwer et al ., ).…”

Weed suppressiveness of paving joint filling materials under diverging water regimes

“…De Cauwer et al . (,b,c) tested several water‐permeable joint fillers for their effectiveness for weed prevention under optimal substrate moisture conditions; irrigation was supplied frequently and at a low intensity per turn. However, weed suppressiveness of a material may be species specific and affected by precipitation regime through its impact on the amount of plant‐available water inside the joint filler.…”

“…However, weed suppressiveness of a material may be species specific and affected by precipitation regime through its impact on the amount of plant‐available water inside the joint filler. Coarse‐grained materials are usually more weed suppressive than fine‐grained materials because of their lower content of plant‐available water (Boonen et al ., ; De Cauwer et al ., ,b,c). However, effects of grain size distribution on weed suppressiveness might be less pronounced in places with ample precipitation.…”

“…Different elements of the construction of a new modular pavement can have a big influence on the future weed establishment and development (Guldemond et al, 1997;Rask & Kristoffersen, 2007;Boonen et al, 2013). In general, weed growth is affected by the amount of open area between pavers (joint width) and the availability of light, water and nutrients (Benvenuti, 2004;Kempenaar et al, 2006;Fagot et al, 2011;De Cauwer et al, 2014a). The availability of water and nutrients depends on the joint filling material and on the organic contamination level (De Cauwer et al, 2014b).…”