Flame Weeding: New Tool for Weed Management.

The interest for organic crop production is on the increase in due to strong demand for organic food from consumers and an attractive income potential for farmers in western societies. Weeds are one of the major problems in crop production, thus controlling them without synthetic herbicides under the rules of organic agriculture is challenging. Therefore, weed scientists are studying alternative tools for weed management. One such tool is the use of propane for flame weeding. Therefore, the objective of this abstract is provide a brief summary of the research conducted in Nebraska from 2006-2013.

This work had resulted in over 20 journal and proceeding articles about crop tolerance to heat and weed control with flaming in seven agronomic crops (field corn, popcorn, sweet corn, sunflower, soybean, sorghum, winter wheat). Information from the above research was compiled into a training manual that describes the proper use of propane fueled flaming as a weed control tool in agronomic crops. For example, the studies of propane dose–response curves revealed that an average propane dose of 60kg per hectare provided acceptable control of most grasses and broadleaf weed species tested (30 species). The highest and the lowest effective propane doses were also determined for appropriate growth stages of the weeds. Results also revealed that the crop growth stage is critical when deciding whether to use flame weeding to control weeds after crop emergence. Recipes with recommended crop growth stages for post-emergent flame weeding, as influenced by the position of the torches and flames relative to the crop row were also provided, which saves energy and reduces production costs. This quick review should improve our existing knowledge about flame weeding, provide description of currently available equipment for flaming, and deliver general guidelines to those interested in flame weed techniques.