Flaming and Burning as Thermal Weed Control Methods: A Review

Abstract

An important part of global pesticide consumption consists of herbicides. But, due to increasing pesticide costs, concerns about pesticides’ risks on environment, increasing interest to organic farming, increasing resistance of weeds to herbicides, scientists are searching alternatives to herbicides. The most promising alternative methods are thermal weed control methods. The emissions resulted from these alternative methods don’t produce any environmental risk if operated appropriately. Common thermal methods subjected to researches are flame, hot water, steam and infrared heater. The concerns and problems regarding these thermal methods consist of high fuel costs, variable effects depending on weed species, fire risks and injuries on cultivated plant tissues. In this paper, we reviewed international literature on flaming and burning thermal weed control methods.