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Title: EFFECTIVENESS OF IN-ROW CULTIVATION IN DRY BEANS

Author
item VANGESSEL, M - UNIV. OF DELAWARE
item Schweizer, Edward
item WILSON, R - UNIV. OF NEBRASKA
item MORIMOTO, D - UNIV. OF NEBRASKA
item Wiles, Lori
item WESTRA, P - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Proceedings of Southern Weed Science Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Mechanical weed control is an option for supplementing or possibly replacing herbicide use in dry bean production. A series of experiments were initiated to examine the effectiveness of an in-row cultivator compared to a conventional cultivator and to identify the most effective timing of use. The in-row cultivator controlled more weeds than the standard cultivator when no herbicides were used. The highest level of control with the in-row cultivator (2 or 3 cultivations) was similar to chemical check. Effectiveness of the cultivator was due to the timing of cultivation in regards to weed emergence. In the second study, regardless of when the in-row cultivation was used, the addition of a rotary hoeing increased weed control. The in-row cultivator reduced the bean population in only one out of four trials. However, reduction in the bean population did not reduce yield. The cost of operating the in-row cultivator was similar to operating the standard cultivator. Therefore, the in-row cultivator is more efficient than the standard cultivators used in these studies. However, the in-row cultivator did require more adjustments and greater degree of driving skill than the standard cultivator.