Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards
Enhancing vineyards sustainability and reducing herbicides usage is a crucial theme, thus alternative weed management methods are starting to be studied. Cover crops have been shown to provide for several environmental services such as performing an efficient weed control and promoting biodiversity,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/3/538 |
| _version_ | 1797541518324531200 |
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| author | Mino Sportelli Christian Frasconi Marco Fontanelli Michel Pirchio Michele Raffaelli Simone Magni Lisa Caturegli Marco Volterrani Marco Mainardi Andrea Peruzzi |
| author_facet | Mino Sportelli Christian Frasconi Marco Fontanelli Michel Pirchio Michele Raffaelli Simone Magni Lisa Caturegli Marco Volterrani Marco Mainardi Andrea Peruzzi |
| author_sort | Mino Sportelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Enhancing vineyards sustainability and reducing herbicides usage is a crucial theme, thus alternative weed management methods are starting to be studied. Cover crops have been shown to provide for several environmental services such as performing an efficient weed control and promoting biodiversity, thus improving the sustainability of the overall management system. However, the use of cover crops is usually confined to the interrow area in order to avoid competition with vines. Under-trellis weed management in vineyards is an important challenge, conventionally fulfilled by cultivation or repeated herbicides applications. Autonomous mowers are small autonomous machines that have shown a great efficiency when employed in agricultural contexts. Due to their reduced size, they can easily prevent the excessive vertical growth of weeds both in the interrows and under trellis without the use of chemical applications. The aim of this trial was to evaluate if the combination of cover crop species and autonomous mowers management could improve vineyard sustainability. Vineyard floor cover that was managed with an autonomous mower had a shorter canopy height and a lower weed dry biomass compared to the conventionally managed vineyard floor cover. Vineyard floor management providing cover crops and autonomous mowing had a significantly lower weed cover percentage compared to conventional floor management, especially under-trellis. The results of this trial suggest that the combination of cover crops and autonomous mowers may be a sustainable and reliable technique to include in vineyards floor management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:17:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39104ab1179040ee89f3a29b62deba6b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:17:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-39104ab1179040ee89f3a29b62deba6b2023-11-21T10:18:31ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952021-03-0111353810.3390/agronomy11030538Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in VineyardsMino Sportelli0Christian Frasconi1Marco Fontanelli2Michel Pirchio3Michele Raffaelli4Simone Magni5Lisa Caturegli6Marco Volterrani7Marco Mainardi8Andrea Peruzzi9Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyAgri-Environmental Research Centre “Enrico Avanzi”, via Vecchia di Marina 6, San Piero a Grado, 56122 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyEnhancing vineyards sustainability and reducing herbicides usage is a crucial theme, thus alternative weed management methods are starting to be studied. Cover crops have been shown to provide for several environmental services such as performing an efficient weed control and promoting biodiversity, thus improving the sustainability of the overall management system. However, the use of cover crops is usually confined to the interrow area in order to avoid competition with vines. Under-trellis weed management in vineyards is an important challenge, conventionally fulfilled by cultivation or repeated herbicides applications. Autonomous mowers are small autonomous machines that have shown a great efficiency when employed in agricultural contexts. Due to their reduced size, they can easily prevent the excessive vertical growth of weeds both in the interrows and under trellis without the use of chemical applications. The aim of this trial was to evaluate if the combination of cover crop species and autonomous mowers management could improve vineyard sustainability. Vineyard floor cover that was managed with an autonomous mower had a shorter canopy height and a lower weed dry biomass compared to the conventionally managed vineyard floor cover. Vineyard floor management providing cover crops and autonomous mowing had a significantly lower weed cover percentage compared to conventional floor management, especially under-trellis. The results of this trial suggest that the combination of cover crops and autonomous mowers may be a sustainable and reliable technique to include in vineyards floor management.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/3/538conservation agricultureunder-trellis weed controlremote sensingsustainable managementrobotic applicationrobotic mowing |
| spellingShingle | Mino Sportelli Christian Frasconi Marco Fontanelli Michel Pirchio Michele Raffaelli Simone Magni Lisa Caturegli Marco Volterrani Marco Mainardi Andrea Peruzzi Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards Agronomy conservation agriculture under-trellis weed control remote sensing sustainable management robotic application robotic mowing |
| title | Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards |
| title_full | Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards |
| title_fullStr | Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards |
| title_full_unstemmed | Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards |
| title_short | Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards |
| title_sort | autonomous mowing and complete floor cover for weed control in vineyards |
| topic | conservation agriculture under-trellis weed control remote sensing sustainable management robotic application robotic mowing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/3/538 |
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