Impact of Electrocution on Shoot and Tuber Vitality of Yellow Nutsedge ( Cyperus esculentus )

Jeroen Feys (), Benny De Cauwer, Dirk Reheul, Clara Sciffer, Shana Clercx and Sander Palmans
Additional contact information
Jeroen Feys: Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Weed Science Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Benny De Cauwer: Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Weed Science Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Dirk Reheul: Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Weed Science Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Clara Sciffer: Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Shana Clercx: Educational Research Center (PVL), 3950 Bocholt, Belgium
Sander Palmans: Educational Research Center (PVL), 3950 Bocholt, Belgium

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Cyperus esculentus is an invasive perennial sedge that can cause huge losses in arable crops. Current control strategies are based on combinations of cultural, mechanical, and chemical measures, repeated over years. Recent commercial releases of safe innovative electric weeders, offer promising alternative opportunities for controlling perennial weeds with high energy/high frequency electricity. To evaluate the effect of a single electrocution application on the efficacy of C. esculentus control, field experiments were performed in two locations in Belgium. Two electric weeding devices were evaluated: Zasso XP300, delivering a high-frequency, phased direct current (maximum voltage of 7000 V and maximum power output of 2000 W per square meter of green biomass, driving speeds between 1.1 and 3.0 km·h −1 ), and Rootwave Pro, delivering high-frequency alternating current (maximum voltage of 5000 V and power output between 7.5 and 10 kVA, treatment duration of 2 s). The impact of various technical (driving speed and voltage), biotic (clone and growth stage), and abiotic parameters on electrocution efficacy was evaluated. Plant responses to electrocution were evaluated by examining the vitality of treated C. esculentus mother tubers and shoots. Both devices were ineffective at mother tuber control, regardless of their burial depth (−5 cm to −15 cm), but were highly effective against aboveground shoots with reductions of vitality of up to 91% and 100% after a single pass with Zasso XP300 and Rootwave Pro, respectively. Maximum reductions were obtained when electricity was delivered at low speed (1.1 to 1.5 km·h −1 ) and on 5-leaf shoots without heat or water stress. Remarkably, the lowest efficacies were found on water-stressed soils at the time of application. Voltage had no effect on the degree of C. esculentus control. The efficacy of electricity was not affected by clone, irrespective of electric weeding device. Electrocution is a useful and effective control method within any integrated control strategy for controlling emerged shoots. However, as C. esculentus mother tubers are not affected by a single treatment, season-long repeated treatments are needed to exhaust the mother tubers.

Keywords: mother tuber; prevention; thermal weeding; electrophysical weeding; voltage; driving speed; leaf stage; soil moisture content (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/3/696/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/3/696/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:3:p:696-:d:1099695

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().