Modern measures of controlling root and sprout weeds in grape agrophytocenoses

Abstract

In modern economic conditions, scientists search for new technological measures for controlling the number of weeds, especially perennial ones, which would be highly effective and low-cost. The purpose of the research is to objectively analyze the effectiveness of technological measures for controlling the development of pink and gray thistle among industrial grape plantations taking into account their characteristics and modern control measures. The most common root and sprout weeds in agrophytocenoses of industrial grape plantations in the south of Ukraine are pink and gray thistles. The initial infestation of vineyards by pink and gray thistles occurs due to seeds, and subsequently the weeds spread extremely rapidly due to the buds formed on horizontal roots. Despite the biological features of growth and development of pink and gray thistles, the structure of their root system, they often create a monospecies community, from which all other species of weed synusia are displaced, and compete quite successfully with grape bushes and many types of weed phytocoenosis for moisture and nutrients. Registration of the number and development of weeds at the end of the stage of grape shoot growth in the areas with fallow land showed that the frequency of spread of pink and gray thistle plants, as part of different biological and cenotic communities, reached 53.1–57.4% with an 42 Таврійський науковий вісник № 136. Частина 2 average number of 3.4–3.7 pcs./m2 , which developed along the axis of a row of bushes and a protective strip. The cultivation of intercrops, winter rye and sour sorrel in the row spacing of grapes causes qualitative and quantitative changes in the formation of species composition, the number and development of weeds, including perennial weeds – pink and gray thistle. In the sectors of row spacing free from intercrops, along the axis of the row of bushes and the protective strip, the development of pink and gray thistle does not differ significantly from similar processes in the area with fallow land. It was found that traditional control measures are ineffective because they do not ensure complete removal of weeds and require large expenditures of material and financial resources. The most promising for reducing costs and achieving maximum efficiency in the fight against pink thistle is the integrated application of agrotechnical, phytocoenological and chemical measures, with the obligatory consideration of the biological characteristics of the weed development.