Abstract
Autonomous mowers are battery-powered machines designed for lawn mowing that require very low human labour. Autonomous mowers can increase turf quality and reduce local noise and pollution compared with gasoline-powered rotary mowers. However, very little is known about the effects of autonomous mowing on encroaching weeds. The aim of this research was to compare the effects of an autonomous mower and an ordinary gasoline-powered mower on weed development in an artificially infested tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) turf with different nitrogen (N) rates. A three-way factor experimental design with three replications was adopted. Factor A consisted of three N rates (0, 75, and 150 kg ha−1), factor B consisted of two mowing systems (autonomous mower vs. walk-behind gasoline rotary mower equipped for mulching), and factor C which consisted of four different transplanted weed species: (a) Bellis perennis L., (b) Trifolium repens L.; (c) Trifolium subterraneum L.; and (d) Lotus corniculatus L. Of these, B. perennis is a rosette-type plant, while the other three species are creeping-type plants. The interaction between mowing system and transplanted weed species showed that the four transplanted weed species were larger when mowed by the autonomous mower than by the rotary mower. The autonomous mower yielded larger weeds probably because the constant mowing height caused the creeping weed species to grow sideways, since the turfgrass offered no competition for light. N fertilization increased turf quality and mowing quality, and also reduced spontaneous weed infestation. Autonomous mowing increased turf quality, mowing quality, but also the percentage of spontaneous weed cover.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Autonomous mowing produced larger transplanted weeds than rotary mowing.
Verbatim
e0“the four transplanted weed species were larger when mowed by the autonomous mower than by the rotary mower”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization increased turf quality.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“N fertilization increased turf quality and mowing quality, and also reduced spontaneous weed infestation”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization increased mowing quality.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“N fertilization increased turf quality and mowing quality, and also reduced spontaneous weed infestation”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization reduced spontaneous weed infestation.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“N fertilization increased turf quality and mowing quality, and also reduced spontaneous weed infestation”
Claim · model-written summary
Autonomous mowing increased turf quality.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Autonomous mowing increased turf quality, mowing quality, but also the percentage of spontaneous weed cover”
Claim · model-written summary
Autonomous mowing increased mowing quality.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Autonomous mowing increased turf quality, mowing quality, but also the percentage of spontaneous weed cover”
Claim · model-written summary
Autonomous mowing increased spontaneous weed cover.
- Taxon
- weede0
- Treatment
- Autonomous mowinge0
- Outcome
- percentage of spontaneous weed covere0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Autonomous mowing increased turf quality, mowing quality, but also the percentage of spontaneous weed cover”