Moving integrated weed management from low level to a truly integrated and highly specific weed management system using advanced technologies

Abstract

Integrated weed management (IWM) is one of the most commonly referred to approaches for sustainable and effective weed control in agriculture, yet it is not widely practiced, likely because current IWM systems fail to meet performance expectations of growers. The effectiveness and value of IWM systems should increase with increasing application specificity and true integration made possible with contemporary advances in technology, information systems and decision support. IWM systems can be classified based on their degree of application specificity and level of integration of tactics. In the application specificity pathway, a tactic is applied at a range of scales, from subfield to plant specific. In the integration pathway, multiple weed control tactics are combined in a synergistic manner. We hypothesise that the full value of IWM can and will be realised only when current and emerging technological innovations, information systems and decision tools are synergistically combined for use in real time. The True IWM system we envision requires automation and robotic technologies, coupled with information and decision support systems that are available or emerging but not yet enabled, in a proven integrated platform. Examples of low-level, traditional and precision IWM systems are discussed, and research needs for a True IWM system are presented. We conclude that the immediate call should be for a long-term investment in R&D and education (both theoretical and empirical) to develop and implement True IWM systems, an effort best accomplished in a public-private partnership where all essential entities are fully engaged and adequately resourced, including growers from all countries who will utilise IWM.

Yield and competitive ability in potato cultivars characterised by different developmental timing

“…Together with weed density and type of weed species, emergence is used to assess the critical period for weed control (CPWC), defined as the period during which the crop must be kept weed‐free to avoid yield or quality reduction (Froud‐Williams, ; Knezevic et al ., ). The critical period is a fundamental element for an integrated weed management (IWM) strategy, which can be defined as a holistic approach to weed management and has long been used for the sustainable, effective management of weeds using a mix of cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical tactics (Harker & O'Donovan, ; Young et al ., ).…”

How to Assure That Farmers Apply New Technology According to Good Agricultural Practice: Lessons From Dutch Initiatives

“…This would, be a good supplementary measure to mechanical weed control, as it tends to select higher densities of perennial weeds over the course of time. The targeted use of herbicide-tolerant crops would also conform to new management systems that employ automated GPS-based weeding machines and other advanced technologies (e.g., Young et al, 2017). However, this idea has not been adopted until now, neither in the Americas where many farmers still rely only on glyphosate, nor in Europe where farmers do use rotations, but did not have the opportunity to include GM herbicide-tolerant crops in the rotation.…”

Beyond Precision Weed Control: A Model for True Integration

“…Although precision weed control can significantly reduce herbicide inputs by placing more on the weed or patch and less on the surrounding area, this approach offers little advancement toward integrated weed management (IWM). True IWM incorporates multiple weed control tools along with decision support and high-speed, quickly actuating and articulating machinery capable of making micro-applications to individual weeds in a total systems approach (Young et al 2017). Currently, no company sells equipment that can perform true IWM, although a few are making progress (e.g., Blue River Technology, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA).…”

“…In essence, precision weed control consists of scaling down what is practiced with large broadcast equipment into a smaller version. In this type of precision weed control, integration of tactics is still spatially and temporally discreet, similar to traditional IWM (Young et al 2017) and dissimilar to true IWM (Young 2012 True IWM requires high levels of plant ecological and biological knowledge and the corresponding technological machinery and algorithm-based decision-making controls that can respond to changes in weeds and the environment (Figure 1). Young et al (2017) categorized true IWM based on the degree of application specificity and level of integration of tactics or tools.…”

“…In this type of precision weed control, integration of tactics is still spatially and temporally discreet, similar to traditional IWM (Young et al 2017) and dissimilar to true IWM (Young 2012 True IWM requires high levels of plant ecological and biological knowledge and the corresponding technological machinery and algorithm-based decision-making controls that can respond to changes in weeds and the environment (Figure 1). Young et al (2017) categorized true IWM based on the degree of application specificity and level of integration of tactics or tools. From low-level IWM with low application specificity (e.g., broadcast) and integration (e.g., single tools) to traditional IWM (low application specificity, low integration) to precision IWM (high application specificity, low integration) to true IWM (high application specificity, high integration), the amount and depth of knowledge required increases with increasing specificity and integration.…”