ISHS Acta Horticulturae 439: III International Strawberry Symposium
WEED THRESHOLDS IN STRAWBERRIES |
| Authors: | M.P. Pritts, M.J. Kelly |
| Keywords: | Fragaria x ananassa, strawberry, integrated pest management, IPM, matted row |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.439.154 |
| Abstract:
Many growers believe that any amount of weed growth in a perennial strawberry planting is unacceptable. However, few herbicides are available for use and these have a short residual activity, so growers who desire weed free fields for the entire season must spend time and money on expensive supplementary control methods. It is unclear if the expense of season-long weed control is balanced by the cost, so it would be desirable to identify critical periods when weed pressure is most detrimental to strawberry growth and concentrate control efforts during those periods. Weeds were managed in first year strawberry fields to allow competition for different lengths of time, and at different times during the growing season. The effects of weeds on runnering and fruiting the following year were quantified. As expected, the longer the length of weed pressure, the greater the effect on runnering and yield. However, these effects were not uniform across the season. In each of two years, weed pressure early in the season (June or July) had a stronger detrimental effect than late season weed pressure. A 30 day period of uncontrolled weed growth late in the season had no effect on plant performance. Weed control efforts need to be concentrated early in the season because strawberries are most sensitive to competition then. | |
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