Flaming good organic option
Flaming good organic option
THERMAL weeding is the best option for large-scale organic potato production, according to a study by Aberdeen Universitys Centre for Organic Agriculture.
"The flamer looks to be the most cost effective option," says researcher Audrey Litterick.
Mulching offers a higher level of control, notably on grassweeds and post-emergence, but the cost is likely to be prohibitive on a large-scale (see table).Cultivation is cheaper, but highly dependent on operator skill and weather to achieve good control.
"And crop damage from cultivation is always more," she adds.
However, organic standards may prohibit the use of burning on the grounds that the use of non-renewable energy sources is against organic principles, she notes.
Organic weed control
costs
£/ha
Rolling cultivator 45
Harrow & re-ridge 30
Single bed flamer
(1.8m) 109
Double bed flamer
(3.6m) 127
Paper mulch 662
Black plastic mulch 1140
based on a single pass