Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Optimising herbicide dose: a straightforward approach to reduce the risk of side effects of herbicides

  • Published:
The Environmentalist Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Public concern of possible effects of pesticides on human health and the environment has lead to an increased pressure on farmers to optimise their use of pesticides. Reducing pesticide doses below the recommended doses whenever possible is a straightforward approach to reduce the risk of adverse side effects. To adopt this approach decision-making has to be improved. The parameters to consider optimising herbicide doses are: weed flora and growth stage, crop competitiveness, climatic conditions, application technique, formulation/adjuvant and combination with other pesticides. In Denmark this information is provided to farmers through the decision support system ‹Plant Protection Online’. Based on input on weed species and densities, climatic conditions, soil type, crop cultivar and expected yield ‹Plant Protection Online’ will provide farmers with optimum herbicide solution usually with doses lower than standard recommended doses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anon, (1999). The Bichel-committee. Report from the Main Committee. Copenhagen, Denmark.

  • Christensen, S. (1992). Herbicide dose in different cereals and cultivars. Proceedings of the 9th danish plant protection conference/weeds, pp. 107–121.

  • Christensen, S. (1993). Herbicide dose adjustment and crop weed competition. Brighton crop protection conference – weeds 1993, pp. 1217–1222.

  • Green, J. (2001). Factors that influence adjuvant performance. Proceedings of the 6th international symposium on adjuvants for agrochemicals, pp. 179–190.

  • Hatzios, K. K., & Penner, D. (1985). Interactions of herbicides with other agrochemicals in higher plants. Review of Weed Science, 1, 1–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, P. K. (1999). Herbicide performance with low-volume and air-inclusion nozzles. Proceedings of the 1999 Brighton conference – weeds, pp. 453–460.

  • Kim, D. S., Brain, P., Marshall, E. J. P., & Caseley, J. C. (2002). Modelling herbicide dose and weed density effects on crop: weed competition. Weed Research, 42.

  • Knoche, M. (1994). Effect of droplet size and carrier volume on performance of foliage-applied herbicides. Crop Protection, 13, 163–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kristensen, J. L. (1992). Research equipment for experiments with herbicides. Proceedings of the first international weed control congress, Vol. 2, pp. 161–162.

  • Kudsk, P. (1988). The influence of volume rates on the activity of glyphosate and difenzoquat assessed by a parallel-line assay technique. Pesticide Science, 24, 21–29

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kudsk, P. (1989). Experiences with reduced herbicide doses in Denmark and the development of the concept of factor-adjusted doses. Brighton crop protection conference – weeds 1989, pp.␣545–554.

  • Kudsk, P. (1999). Optimising herbicide dose – the driving force behind the development of the Danish decision support system. Proceedings of the 1999 Brighton conference – weeds, pp. 737–746.

  • Kudsk, P. (2001). How to investigate the influence of environmental factors on herbicide performance. Proceedings of the 2001 Brighton conference – weeds, pp. 737–746.

  • Kudsk, P. (2002). Optimising herbicide performance. In R. E. L. Naylor (Ed.), Weed Management Handbook (pp. 323–344). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Science.

  • Kudsk, P., & Kristensen J. L. (1992). Effect of environmental factors on herbicide performance. Proceedings of the first international weed control congress, Vol. 1, pp. 173–186.

  • Merritt, C. R. (1982). The influence of form of deposit on the phytotoxicity of MCPA, paraquat and glyphosate applied as individual drops. Annals of Applied Biology, 101, 527–532.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, P. C. H., & Lane, A. G. (1999). Relationship between spary characteristics and drift risk into field boundaries of different structure. Aspects of applied biology, 54, Field margins and buffer zones: Ecology, management and policy, pp. 45–51.

  • O’Sullivan, P. A., O’Donovan, J. T., & Hamman, W. M. (1981). Influence of non-ionic surfactants, ammonium sulphate, water quality and spray volume on the phytotoxicity of glyphosate. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 61, 391–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, E. S., Orson, J. H., Miller, P. C. H., Kudsk, P., & Mathiassen, S. K. (2002). Defining the size of target for air induction nozzles. Aspects of applied biology, 66, International advances in pesticide application, pp. 65–72.

  • Rydahl, P. (1995). Computer assisted decision making. Proceedings EWRS (European Weed Research Society) symposium Budapest 1995: Challenges for weed science in a changing Europe, pp.␣29–37.

  • Rydahl, P. (1999). Optimising mixtures of herbicides within a decision support system. Proceedings of the 1999 Brighton conference – weeds, pp. 761–766.

  • Streibig, J. C., & Jensen, J. E. (2000). Actions of herbicides in mixtures. In A. H. Cobb & R. C. Kirkwood (Eds.), Herbicides and their mechanisms of action, pp. 153–180.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrated Pest Management, Research Centre Flakkebjerg, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Aarhus, 4200, Slagelse, Denmark

    Per Kudsk

Authors
  1. Per Kudsk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Per Kudsk.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kudsk, P. Optimising herbicide dose: a straightforward approach to reduce the risk of side effects of herbicides. Environmentalist 28, 49–55 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-007-9041-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-007-9041-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation