Evaluation of Organic and Synthetic Herbicide Applications on Weed Suppression in a Conventional Cropping System in Louisiana

Caitlin deNux (), Aixin Hou and Lisa Fultz
Additional contact information
Caitlin deNux: School of Geoscience, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 611 McKinley St., Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Aixin Hou: College of the Coast & Environment, Louisiana State University, 93 South Quad Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Lisa Fultz: School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, Louisiana State University AgCenter, 104 M.B. Sturgis Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: Synthetic herbicides, with their varying modes of action, are well known for their efficiency in the suppression and control of weed species in U.S. agriculture. However, the consequences of using synthetic herbicides without attention to the surrounding environment produce chemical run-off, changes in soil health and soil health conditions, and create herbicide-resistant weeds. These outcomes have encouraged growers to seek alternative methods for their weed management programs or farming operations. Organic production systems and organic pesticides have helped address these challenges related to sustainability and environmental health. However, the use of organic herbicides in a conventional cropping system is not usually evaluated, as the effectiveness of these organic herbicides on weed populations in such a setting is thought to be inferior when compared to their synthetic counterparts. In this study, organic and synthetic herbicides were assessed on their performance in weed suppression surveys. The experimental design included nine treatments with four replications on two different soil types. The results showed organic herbicides were not comparable to synthetic herbicides in weed suppression. In weed management programs, using recommended herbicide application rates outlined on the herbicide label and conducting applications with environmental stewardship in mind could decrease possible herbicide effects within the environment.

Keywords: organic; herbicide; sustainable agriculture; weed suppression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/7/3019/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/7/3019/ (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:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:7:p:3019-:d:1370318

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

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