Evaluation of Sustainable Weeding Methods for the Control of Spontaneous Flora in Urban Areas

AbstractWhen not properly managed or eliminated, spontaneous plants may cause more or less serious damage in an urbanized environment. Weed control should be a priority in urban green management, both public and private, but the treatments need more attention towards the environment and people. Following the current Italian laws regarding the use of herbicides in green spaces, a study on alternative methods to the traditional application of glyphosate is proposed. Specifically, the goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of weeds control of four different methods to find the best solution. The experimental tests took place in two paths of the Montecchia Golf course (Selvazzano, Italy). Two bioherbicides and two physical treatments were tested and compared with no treated plots (control): acetic acid (Urban Weed™), pelargonic acid (Finalsan® Plus), flame weeding, and mechanical scraper. After each treatment, photos were taken to evaluate the trend of weed repopulation in each plot. The images were processed using CANOPEO, a Matlab® plugin, to obtain a percentage coverage value for each plot. Considering cost analysis and the effectiveness of weeds control, acetic acid has proved to be the best alternative solution to traditional weed control with glyphosate. KeywordsAcetic acidPelargonic acidFlame weedingMechanical scraperCost analysis