Innovative strategies for physical weed control on processing tomato in the Serchio Valley (Central Italy)

Summary

An “on-farm” open field research on processing tomato weed control was carried out during 2006 in a conventional farm in the Serchio Valley (Pisa, Central Italy). The aim of the experiment was to test innovative strategies and operative machines for non-chemical (physical) weed control.
The innovative strategy was compared with the farm traditional technique. The innovative strategy consisted in the application of the stale-seedbed technique (by means of a rolling harrow and a flaming machine in the pre-transplanting phase) and precision hoeing interventions in post-transplanting phase (with an innovative machine equipped with rigid elements, for inter-row weed control, and elastic tines for selective intra-row weed control). Traditional technique consisted in two chemical pre-transplanting interventions and two post-transplanting rotary hoe treatments.
Innovative operative machines performances, weed density during the crop cycle, dry weed biomass at harvest and crop fresh yield were recorded.
The innovative strategy allowed to reach significantly higher yield values (+18%), a good weed control and a relevant increase of gross marketable production with respect to traditional strategy (+4500 € ha-1 as net value of weed management costs).
The experiment is still on-going and it will finish in 2008.