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Herbicide and Mulch Interactions: A Review of the Literature and Implications for the Landscape Maintenance Industry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

S. Christopher Marble
S. Christopher Marble*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Horticulture, CLCE, IFAS, University of Florida, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, Apopka, FL 32703
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

Use of organic mulch is one of the most common methods of weed control in landscape planting beds and provides other benefits, including improved soil characteristics, increased growth of ornamental plants, and enhanced property aesthetics. In the landscape maintenance industry, it is common to apply mulch and herbicides concurrently to landscape beds to provide long-term, broad-spectrum weed control. It is known that herbicides behave differently when applied to different soil types and organic materials; however, research is lacking concerning which herbicides are most effective with different mulch materials in the landscape. Determining the most effective herbicide–mulch combinations could potentially improve weed control, reduce labor costs from hand weeding, and mitigate negative environmental impacts resulting from off-site herbicide movement. The objective of this paper is to review the research that has been conducted pertaining to various mulch–herbicide combinations in the landscape and in other areas of agricultural production while also identifying key knowledge gaps that should be addressed in future research. Review of the literature suggests satisfactory weed control can be achieved with high mulch depths (≥ 7 cm) regardless of herbicide use, and herbicide–mulch interactions become more pronounced as mulch depth decreases. Additionally, future research is needed to determine which herbicides are best suited for different mulch types to improve weed control and potentially reduce environmental impacts, including herbicide leaching and runoff into urban and suburban waterbodies.

El uso de coberturas orgánicas es uno de los métodos más comunes para el control de malezas en camas de siembra en paisajismo y brinda otros beneficios incluyendo el mejoramiento de las características del suelo, el aumento del crecimiento de plantas ornamentales, y mejores propiedades estéticas. En la industria de mantenimiento de paisajes, es común aplicar coberturas y herbicidas concurrentemente a camas de siembra para brindar un control de malezas más duradero y de amplio espectro. Es sabido que los herbicidas se comportan de forma diferente cuando se aplican a diferentes tipos de suelos y materiales orgánicos. Sin embargo, hay un faltante de información acerca de cuáles herbicidas son más efectivos dependiendo de los materiales para cobertura para paisajes. El determinar la combinación herbicida-cobertura más efectiva podría potencialmente mejorar el control de malezas, reducir los costos de deshierba manual, y mitigar los impactos negativos en el ambiente producto del movimiento no deseado de herbicidas. El objetivo de este artículo es revisar la investigación que se ha realizado relacionada a varias combinaciones cobertura-herbicida en paisajes y en otras áreas de producción agrícola, y a la vez identificar faltantes clave en información que podrían ser el tema de investigaciones futuras. La revisión de literatura sugiere que el control satisfactorio de malezas puede ser alcanzado con coberturas profundas (≥ 7 cm) sin importar el uso de herbicidas, y que las interacciones herbicida-cobertura se vuelven más pronunciadas a medida que la profundidad de la cobertura disminuye. Adicionalmente, se necesitan investigaciones para determinar cuáles herbicidas son los más adecuados para diferentes tipos de coberturas, para así mejorar el control de malezas y potencialmente reducir impactos ambientales, los cuales incluyen lixiviación y escorrentía de herbicidas a cuerpos de agua en zonas urbanas y suburbanas.

Keywords

Landscape planting bedornamentalsresidential area
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , September 2015 , pp. 341 - 349
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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