Weeds in apple orchards and their control

Abstract

Floristic composition of the weed community in apple orchards differs, depending on the type of management - extensive or intensive. In extensive orchards, weedy-ruderal-grassland species are dominant. On the other hands, in intensive orchards the inter-row can be dominated by annual (therophyte) weed species, if mechanically cultivated, or grass species, if grasses are used as cover crops, while the rows are dominated by perennial weed species (geophytes, hemicryptophytes). The floristic composition of the weed communities is also dependent on the age of the orchard. In younger orchards row crop weeds are dominant, while as the orchard ages, the community gets a more weedy-ruderal-grassland character. The most common weed species in apple orchards in Serbia are: Amaranthus retroflexus, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Chenopodium album, Convolvulus arvensis, Carduus acanthoides, Cynodon dactylon, Erigeron canadensis, Hordeum murinum, Lamium purpureum, L. amplexicaule, Medicago lupulina, Setaria spp., Stellaria media, Stenactis annua, Sonchus arvensis, Taraxacum officinale, Veronica spp. and Vicia spp. Weed control in apple orchards can be done using agrotechnical (soil cultivation), physical (mowing, mulching), thermic, chemical, biological measures, and by growing cover crops. In practice, weed control in apple orchards is dominantly done by herbicides, based on the following active substances: napropamide, glyphosate, 2.4D, flazasulfuron, flurochloridone, cycloxydim, fluazifop-p-butyl, clethodim, diquat, fluroxypyr-meptyl, and pyraflufen-ethyl. Given that nowadays the production of healthy and safe food is an imperative, also demanded by the international market, it is expected that bioproducts will be prioritized over classical synthetic herbicides. Moreover, non-chemical measures are also becoming more important as part of integral weed control measures of weeds in apple orchards.