Branislav Kovačević

Application of pre-emergence herbicides in poplar nursery production

In addition to pests and diseases, weeds are a major problem in poplar nursery production. The possibilities of herbicide application in juvenile poplar growth were researched, taking into account that weeds are one of the main limiting factors. The following pre-emergence herbicides were tested: acetochlor, S-metolachlor, metribuzin, oxifluorfen, and dimethenamid during two vegetation seasons at two locations, which differed by the soil physico-chemical characteristics. The study results show that the number of weeds on sample plots was significantly reduced by the tested herbicides when compared to control plots. The highest reduction in the number of weeds was achieved using the herbicides acetochlor and metribuzin. However, metribuzin showed a phytotoxic effect on sandy soil. Metribuzin application is recommended only on the soils with higher contents of organic matter, where the phytotoxic effect was absent. Acetochlor, S-metolachlor, oxifluorfen, and dimethenamid were not phytotoxic to poplars and can be used for weed suppression in the production of poplar plants.