Christoph Kunz

University of Hohenheim

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the weed suppressing effects of cover crops in single and mixed cultivation. Weed densities in the field experiments ranged from 0 to 267 plants/m² with Chenopodium album L., Matricaria chamomilla L., Stellaria media (L.) Vill. as predominant weeds. It was found that mustard (Sinapis al...

Maize, soybean and sugar beet are very sensitive to weed competition in early growing stag-es. Therefore, effective weed control is important between and within crop rows. The focus of this study was to investigate the benefits of intra-row finger weeding, torsion weeding, rotary harrowing and ridging in combination with camera-guided inter-row hoe...

In sugar beet, maize and soybean, weeds are usually controlled by herbicides uniformly applied across the whole field. Due to restrictions in herbicide use and negative side effects, mechanical weeding plays a major role in integrated weed management (IWM). In 2015 and 2016, eight field experiments were conducted to test the efficacy of an OEM Claa...

Sensor technologies are expedient tools for precision agriculture, aiming for yield protection while reducing operating costs. A portable sensor based on chlorophyll fluorescence imaging was used in greenhouse experiments to investigate the response of sugar beet and soybean cultivars to the application of herbicides. The sensor measured the maximu...

Soybean field experiments were performed to investigate the weed-suppressing effects of different tillage systems and cover crop mulches at two locations in southwest Germany during 2014 and 2015. The influence of three different tillage systems on weed control efficacy, soybean plant density, and crop yield was determined. In the no-till system (N...

The weed suppressive ability of oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis Pers.) cover crop is attributed to high competitiveness for resources and biochemical effects on weeds. The oilseed radish cover crop was sown in five treatments plus an untreated control over a period of five weeks before and three weeks after winter wheat harvest. Ad...

Field experiments were conducted at two locations in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 to investigate the weed suppressive ability of cover crop mulches in sugar beets. Three cover crops and two cover crop mixtures were tested in all four experiments. Weed densities ranged from 2 up to 210 plants/m² in Chenopodium album L. and Stellaria media (L.) Vill. as p...

Weed control is one of the major challenges in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) production worldwide. Due to the high flexibility and low costs, herbicide applications are the common agricultural practice for successful weed control. Yet, due to European and national restrictions, farmers are forced to substitute their herbicide input in order to reduce...

Cover crops may suppress weeds due to their competitive effects and the release of inhibitory compounds. We examined the inhibitory influence of 11 cover crop mulches on the germination and growth of weed species (Stellaria media (L.) Vill., Chenopodium album L. and Matricaria chamomilla L.) in laboratory, greenhouse and field experiments. In the l...

Weed suppression in sugar beets (Beta vulgaris.) is commonly achieved with two to three post-emergent herbicide applications across the entire field. Field studies were performed, in order to investigate the weed suppressing ability of Medicago lupulina, Trifolium subterraneum and a mixture of Lolium perenne and Festuca pratensis as living mulches...

Field studies were conducted at the University of Hohenheim, in 2014 and 2015. The goal was to investigate weed suppression ability of cover crops planted in autumn, and the resulting mulches during sugar beet vegetation in spring. Six different treatments were investigated. One untreated control, 3 cover crops in mono-cultivation and 2 cover crop...

Weed suppressing ability of oil radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis Pers.) as cover crop is attributed to early plant development and high competitiveness for natural resources. Time and cultivation method are mandatory for high weed control efficacy within the field. In 2015, field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the we...

In sugar beet (Beta vulgaris.) weed control is commonly performed by herbicide application applied broadcast at splitting during the cultivation period. Mechanical weeding can be an alternative to chemical weed control. The aim of this experiment was the estimation of weed control efficacy with the use of automatic steering technologies by camera g...

In this study we investigated the possibility of chemical and mechanical weed control strategies in soybean. Soybean field experiments were carried out in 2013 and 2014 in Southern Germany. Five treatments including common herbicide mixtures and four mechanical weed control treatments, implementing a harrow and a hoe, were tested at different locat...

Weed infestations and associated yield losses require effective weed control measures in sugar beet. Besides chemical weed control strategies, mechanical weeding plays an important role in integrated weed management systems. The target of this field experiments at different locations in Germany was to investigate weed control efficacy with the use...

In our study we tried to evaluate the effects of cover crops and cover crop mixtures in sugar beet. Two field studies were conducted at the University of Hohenheim and at Renningen in 2014 and 2015. We tried to investigate, the weed suppression ability of cover crops planted in autumn and the resulting mulches during sugar beet vegetation in spring...

Weed infestations and associated yield losses require effective weed control measures in soybean and sugar beet. Besides chemical weed control, mechanical weeding plays an important role in integrated weed management systems. Field experiments were conducted at three locations for soybean in 2013 and 2014 and at four locations for sugar beet in 201...

Weed control in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is usually performed with herbicides applied across the whole field at several timings in the early growth stage of sugar beet. It was tested if herbicide input could be reduced with a combination of preventive, mechanical and chemical weed control strategies. In field experiments conducted at 6 locations...