Abstract
Weed control is typically achieved by broadcast spraying postemergence herbicides on the entire orchard floor which wastes chemical by spraying bare ground. Growers can account for spatial variation in weed density and only spray weedy areas instead of applying herbicide to entire fields by using the automatic spot-sprayer, WeedSeeker sprayer. We conducted field experiments in flood- and microsprinikler-irrigated lemon orchards, and flood- and sprinkler-irrigated pecan orchards to measure the amount of herbicide applied, weed control, tree yield, and the economic value of adopting the WeedSeeker sprayer compared to conventional boom spray technology. The WeedSeeker sprayer reduced cumulative herbicide use by at least 36% compared to the conventional boom sprayer at all sites. Weed control obtained using the WeedSeeker sprayer was usually similar to the conventional boom sprayer. There were no effects of the treatments on yield at any location. The partial budget analysis, used to determine the economic value of adopting the technology, showed that as the area of the orchard and the cost of the herbicide increased, the time to recover the initial investment in the WeedSeeker sprayer decreased. The investment in the technology can typically be recovered in less than five years in Arizona lemon and pecan orchards.We also conducted greenhouse experiments to determine the effect of various sensitivity settings and leaf area on the operational efficiency of the WeedSeeker sprayer. The WeedSeeker sprayer did not detect and spray all broadleaf and monocot plants unless a sensitive setting was used. The WeedSeeker sprayer was more efficient when detecting broadleaf plants compared to monocot plants. Our results indicate that operating the WeedSeeker sprayer using a sensitive setting (sensitivity level 2) will result in the most efficient detection of weeds.Finally, field studies were conducted in a non-bearing pecan orchard to evaluate weed management systems using various postemergence and preemergence herbicides. Most postemergence herbicides controlled the weed species present in the orchard. Tank mixing the herbicides generally resulted in greater control compared to applying them alone. All preemergence herbicides reduced the weed emergence compared to not using a preemergence herbicide. No pecan tree damage was observed in any treatment.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
The WeedSeeker spot-sprayer reduced cumulative herbicide use by at least 36% compared with the conventional boom sprayer at all sites in tree-crop orchards.
Verbatim
t0“Western Tree Crops”
e0“The WeedSeeker sprayer reduced cumulative herbicide use by at least 36% compared to the conventional boom sprayer at all sites”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed control with the WeedSeeker sprayer was usually similar to that with the conventional boom sprayer.
Verbatim
t0“Western Tree Crops”
e0“Weed control obtained using the WeedSeeker sprayer was usually similar to the conventional boom sprayer”
Claim · model-written summary
The sprayer treatments had no effect on tree yield at any location.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“Western Tree Crops”
e0“There were no effects of the treatments on yield at any location”
Claim · model-written summary
The investment in the WeedSeeker sprayer can typically be recovered in less than five years in Arizona lemon and pecan orchards.
- Taxon
- lemon and pecan
Citrus ×limon_1_(24790682337).jpg?width=60)
Carya illinoinensise0 - Outcome
- investment in the technology can typically be recoverede0
- Value
- less than five yearse0
- Setting
- Arizona lemon and pecan orchardse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_1_(24790682337).jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“The investment in the technology can typically be recovered in less than five years in Arizona lemon and pecan orchards”
Claim · model-written summary
In greenhouse tests the WeedSeeker sprayer did not detect and spray all broadleaf and monocot plants unless a sensitive setting was used.
Verbatim
e0“The WeedSeeker sprayer did not detect and spray all broadleaf and monocot plants unless a sensitive setting was used”
Claim · model-written summary
The WeedSeeker sprayer was more efficient detecting broadleaf plants than monocot plants.
Verbatim
e0“The WeedSeeker sprayer was more efficient when detecting broadleaf plants compared to monocot plants”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude that operating the WeedSeeker sprayer at a sensitive setting (sensitivity level 2) gives the most efficient weed detection.
Verbatim
e0“operating the WeedSeeker sprayer using a sensitive setting (sensitivity level 2) will result in the most efficient detection of weeds”
Claim · model-written summary
Most postemergence herbicides controlled the weed species present in a non-bearing pecan orchard.
- Taxon
- PecanCarya illinoinensist0
- Treatment
- postemergence herbicidese0
- Interactor
- weed speciese0weed
- Outcome
- controlled the weed speciese0
- Direction
- controllede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Pecan Orchard”
e0“Most postemergence herbicides controlled the weed species present in the orchard”
Claim · model-written summary
Tank mixing herbicides generally gave greater weed control than applying them alone.
- Taxon
- PecanCarya illinoinensist0
- Treatment
- Tank mixing the herbicidese0
- Outcome
- controle0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- applying them alonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Pecan Orchard”
e0“Tank mixing the herbicides generally resulted in greater control compared to applying them alone”
Claim · model-written summary
All preemergence herbicides reduced weed emergence compared with not using a preemergence herbicide.
- Taxon
- PecanCarya illinoinensist0
- Treatment
- preemergence herbicidese0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- weed emergencee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- not using a preemergence herbicidee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Pecan Orchard”
e0“All preemergence herbicides reduced the weed emergence compared to not using a preemergence herbicide”
Claim · model-written summary
No pecan tree damage was observed in any herbicide treatment.
- Taxon
- pecan treeCarya illinoinensise0
- Outcome
- damagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“No pecan tree damage was observed in any treatment”
The same questions in other papers
application · molecular: metabolites · Carya illinoinensis (pecan)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
herbicide · weed · Carya illinoinensis (pecan)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.