The difficulty of solving a weed problem depends on the weed and crop species and the cropping system, e.g. stockless or dairy farming, crop rotation, use of catch crops, fertility level etc. (Rasmussen, Askegaard and Olesen 2005). Much progress has been achieved in the management of annual weeds in cereals and pulses with mechanical and cultural methods (e.g. Melander, Cirujeda, and Jørgensen 2003; Rasmussen 2004; Melander, Rasmussen, and Barberi 2005), enhancement of crop competitiveness (Hansen 2002; Rasmussen 2002), and proper choice ofcropping sequence (e.g. Melander and Rasmussen 2000; Barberi 2002). In row crops, research has focused on replacing laborious hand weeding of intra-row weeds with mechanization (Melander, Rasmussen and Barberi 2005). Yet, in organic farming, serious weed problems remain unsolved: perennial weeds, notably Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Elymus repens (L.) Gould, Rumex crispus L. and Tussilago Farfara L., are an increasing problem, and in row crops especially annual intra-row weeds put severe constraints on the production.

In this project we combine research on weed biology with the development of novel technology to develop new and effective weed control strategies. We apply mathematical modelling to generalise our research findings into a wider context, especially the long-term effects of different weed management strategies in various crop rotations.

Project manager

Senior Scientist Bo Melander
University of Aarhus
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Department of Integrated Pest Management
Forsøgsvej 1
DK-4200 Slagelse, Denmark

Tel.: 89 99 35 00
E-mail: Bo.Melander@agrsci.dk