A Review of Non-Chemical Weed Control Techniques

Weeding has traditionally been a labour intensive operation in crop production. The use of herbicides was rapidly accepted by many farmers and became an accepted part of crop husbandry, although a few farmers always questioned the widespread use of chemicals in farming, and the concept of organic farming necessitated a non-chemical approach to weed control. The recent upsurge in environmental awareness of the public, interest in organic food production and some problems with herbicide use, has led to a range of techniques and machines being developed for non-chemical weed control. Thermal and mechanical techniques are reviewed for cereal and row crop production.