The impacts of invasive plant control on native animals are rarely evaluated. Using data from an eight\uffe2\uff80\uff90year study in southeastern Australia, we quantified the effects on native bird, mammal, and reptile species of (1) the abundance of the invasive Bitou Bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata, and (2) a Bitou Bush control program, which involved repeated herbicide spraying interspersed with prescribed burning. We found that overall species richness of birds, mammals, and reptiles and the majority of individual vertebrate species were unresponsive to Bitou Bush cover and the number of plants. Two species including the nationally endangered Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyurus brachypterus) responded positively to measures of native vegetation cover following the control of Bitou Bush. Analyses of the effects of different components of the treatment protocol employed to control Bitou Bush revealed (1) no negative effects of spraying on vertebrate species richness; (2) negative effects of spraying on only one individual species (Scarlet Honeyeater); and (3) lower bird species richness but higher reptile species richness after fire. The occupancy of most individual vertebrates species was unaffected by burning; four species responded negatively and one positively to fire. Our study indicated that actions to remove Bitou Bush generally have few negative impacts on native vertebrates. We therefore suggest that controlling this highly invasive exotic plant species has only very limited negative impacts on vertebrate biota.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "weed control", "570", "Secondary effects", "off-target impacts", "animal response to weed control", "Indirect impacts", "Fire management", "590", "Non-target impacts", "herbicide impact on animals", "Herbicide impact on animals", "01 natural sciences", "invasive alien plant management", "fire management", "indirect impacts", "14. Life underwater", "non-target impacts", "Invasive alien plant management", "weed management impacts", "Animal response to weed control", "Bitou Bush", "580", "secondary effects", "Weed management impacts", "15. Life on land", "Weed control", "Off-target impacts", "3. Good health", "13. Climate action"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/407435/1/Lindenmayer_et_al_2017_Ecopshere.pdf"}, {"href": "https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/244051/3/01_Lindenmayer_Non-target_impacts_of_weed_2017.pdf.jpg"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1804"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecosphere", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1002/ecs2.1804", "name": "item", "description": "10.1002/ecs2.1804", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1002/ecs2.1804"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-05-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.cropro.2008.12.002", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:16:03Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2008-12-28", "title": "Weed Suppression In Organic Pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.) With Winter Cover Crops", "description": "Abstract Weed control is a major constraint for organic production around the world. Field studies were conducted in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) from 2004 to 2006 at the Black Sea Agricultural Research Institute experimental field in Turkey to determine the weed suppressive effects of winter cover crops. Treatments consisted of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), gelemen clover (Trifolium meneghinianum Clem.), Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexsandrinum L.), common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.) and a bare fallow with no cover crop. Weed density and total weed dry biomass were assessed at 14, 28, and 56 days after incorporation to quantify effects of cover crops during a subsequent pepper crop. Cover crop establishment was similar in both growing seasons and individual species produced in the range of 1800\u20133500\u00a0kg/ha biomass. Ryegrass produced the greatest biomass compared with other species. Weed dry biomass production just before cover crop incorporation varied with year and cover crop species. Hairy vetch, ryegrass, oat and common vetch were the most competitive cover crops based on total weed dry biomass. Hairy vetch was the most promising cover crop and reduced weed density by 73% and 70% at 28 and 56 DAI, respectively. Pepper yields were higher following all cover crops except Egyptian clover. The highest yield was obtained from hairy vetch plots in both years. This research indicates that cover crops such as hairy vetch, ryegrass, oat and common vetch could be used in integrated weed management programs to reduce weed infestation in organic pepper.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "CDA", "Hairy vetch", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Vegetable", "15. Life on land", "Ryegrass", "Oat", "Weed control"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2008.12.002"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Crop%20Protection", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.cropro.2008.12.002", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.cropro.2008.12.002", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.cropro.2008.12.002"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116896", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:16:42Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-12-02", "title": "Knowledge and perceptions of invasive plant biocontrol in Europe versus the rest of the world", "description": "Biological control (BC) of invasive alien plants (IAP) can be an effective environmental management approach. It has only very recently been adopted in Europe and is underutilized compared to other continents where this method has been successfully implemented for over a century. This is in sharp contrast to the BC of invertebrate pests, which has been taken up widely within Europe. It has been suggested that this is related to the risk-adverse attitude of Europeans towards weed BC. Scientific and public perception have a major influence on environmental policy actions. Public perception and knowledge regarding BC is an understudied subject despite its relevance for the application of this management alternative. We aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of BC of IAP among European professionals compared with their peers from other continents. To this end we conducted an online survey including multiple choice and open questions among over 700 people professionally engaged with managing the natural environment, of which approximately half were from Europe (EU) and the others from outside (non-EU). We assessed relationships between the geographical location of the respondents and their knowledge, and perceptions of BC of weeds versus BC of invertebrate pests. We found that respondents' location influenced both perceptions and knowledge of BC for weeds. Compared to non-EU respondents, EU professionals showed less appreciation for BC (e.g., regarding safety, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness), and perceived it as a riskier method, particularly in the case of practitioners and researchers. More profoundly insect pest BC tended to be considered less safe than weed BC for non-EU respondents. Confidence in weed BC as a method, as well as in the validity of the associated pre-release risk assessments, strongly increased with the level of expertise in weed BC. While a much higher proportion of non-EU respondents were correctly aware of the presence/absence of BC in their own countries and identified successful examples of BC accurately, both groups of respondents were similarly aware of unsuccessful BC examples, including BC agents against animals, stressing the bias of EU respondents towards examples of BC failure. The appreciation of weed BC in Europe could be elevated by a combination of increasing knowledge of the technique and pre-release risk assessment and promoting successful examples of weed BC, which may bring major benefits for the management of IAP across the region.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "Public perception", "Weed Control", "Plant Weeds", "Environment", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Europe", "Attitude", "13. Climate action", "Biological control", "Europe Weeds", "Animals", "Weeds", "Survey", "ta218"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116896"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Environmental%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116896", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116896", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116896"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41467-020-15586-1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-04-21", "title": "Biological weed control to relieve millions from Ambrosia allergies in Europe", "description": "AbstractInvasive alien species (IAS) can substantially affect ecosystem services and human well-being. However, quantitative assessments of their impact on human health are rare and the benefits of implementing IAS management likely to be underestimated. Here we report the effects of the allergenic plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia on public health in Europe and the potential impact of the accidentally introduced leaf beetle Ophraella communa on the number of patients and healthcare costs. We find that, prior to the establishment of O. communa, some 13.5 million persons suffered from Ambrosia-induced allergies in Europe, causing costs of Euro 7.4 billion annually. Our projections reveal that biological control of A. artemisiifolia will reduce the number of patients by approximately 2.3 million and the health costs by Euro 1.1 billion per year. Our conservative calculations indicate that the currently discussed economic costs of IAS underestimate the real costs and thus also the benefits from biological control.Weeds represent a significant threat to crop yields and global food security. We analysed data on weed competition from the world's longest running agricultural experiment to ask whether potential yield losses from weeds have increased in response to management and environmental change since the advent of the Green Revolution in the 1960s. On plots where inorganic nitrogen fertiliser has been applied, potential yield losses from weeds have consistently increased since 1969. This was explained by a warming climate, measured as air temperature averaged over the growing season for the weeds, and a shift towards shorter crop cultivars. Weeds also reduced yield proportionally more on plots with higher rates of nitrogen which had higher yields when weeds were controlled; the relative benefit of herbicides was, therefore, proportional to potential crop yield. Reducing yield losses from weed competition is increasingly challenging because of the evolution of herbicide resistance. Our results demonstrate that weeds now represent a greater inherent threat to crop production than before the advent of herbicides and integrated, sustainable solutions to weed management are urgently needed to protect the high yield potential of modern crop genotypes.
", "keywords": ["Crops", " Agricultural", "2. Zero hunger", "Herbicides", "Climate Change", "Weed Control", "Weed competition", "Plant Weeds", "Integrated weed management", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Primary Research Articles", "7. Clean energy", "13. Climate action", "Climate change", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Crop yield", "Herbicide Resistance"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.15585"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15585"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.15585", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.15585", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.15585"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-03-23T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/agronomy10111836", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:54Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-11-23", "title": "Legume Ecotypes and Commercial Cultivars Differ in Performance and Potential Suitability for Use as Permanent Living Mulch in Mediterranean Vegetable Systems", "description": "Weed control in organic conservative vegetable systems is extremely challenging and the use of legume permanent living mulches (pLM) presents an interesting opportunity. The successful use of pLM is largely determined by the choice of appropriate legumes which are able to combine adequate weed control with a marginal competitive effect on the cash crop(s). However, the availability of legumes for such systems is limited and their characterization based on growth traits can support the selection of suitable legumes for conservation organic vegetable systems. The current study investigated weed control capacity and variability in morphological and phenological traits relevant in inter-plant competition among a range of 11 commercial cultivars of legumes and seven ecotypes of Medicago polymorpha (bur medic). For commercial cultivars, Lotus corniculatus (bird\uffe2\uff80\uff99s-foot trefoil) and Trifolium repens (white clover) showed the best weed control capacity, while Trifolium subterraneum (subterranean clover) and Medicago polymopha had more suitable characteristics for a rapid and complete establishment of the pLM. Overall, legume mulches appear more effective in dicotyledonous than in monocotyledonous weed control. Trifolium subterraneum cv. Antas and T. repens cv. Haifa were identified as the potentially most suitable legumes for use as pLM and their use in mixtures could be a promising solution. In addition, the ecotypes of Medicago polymorpha Manciano and Talamone proved to be well adapted for local environmental conditions and they showed a better weed suppression than the commercial cultivars of Medicago polymorpha.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "weed control", "S", "bur clover", "dead mulch", "Weed management", "Agriculture", "reduced tillage", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "clover", "15. Life on land", "Soil tillage", "legume screening", "organic farming", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "organic farming; weed control; legume screening; dead mulch; clover; bur clover; reduced tillage"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/11/1836/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.iris.sssup.it/bitstream/11382/535991/1/Leoni%20et%20al_2020_permanent%20living%20mulches_agronomy%28MDPI%29-10-01836_final.pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/11/1836/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111836"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agronomy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/agronomy10111836", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/agronomy10111836", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/agronomy10111836"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-11-22T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1564/v31_aug_02", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:47Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-09-05", "title": "IWMPRAISE \u2013 An EU Horizon 2020 Project Providing Integrated Weed Management Solutions to European Farmers", "description": "IWMPRAISE is the first EU Framework Research project focusing solely on weed management. Thirty-eight partners in eight European countries are working together on developing integrated weed management strategies for agricultural and horticultural crops. Per Kudsk, the coordinator of IWMPRAISE, and the work package leaders present the project, the on-going studies and some of the early outputs. Weeds are ubiquitous and cause substantial yield losses across all arable and horticultural systems. Currently, the reliance on herbicides is very high in conventional farming systems and in many European countries herbicides are the single most used group of pesticides (https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=aei_fm_salpest09&lang=en). There are several reasons for the high herbicide use, such as lack of threshold-based spraying decisions and lack of any single sufficiently effective, readily applicable, cost-effective non-chemical method. Nonetheless, two factors are driving an immediate need to change weed control practices in conventional farming: the rapidly increasing problem of herbicide resistance, exacerbated by the fact that no new herbicide sites of action have been marketed since the early 1980s, and the expectation that many of the currently used herbicides will be withdrawn from the EU market as they do not meet the human and environmental toxicity criteria set out in EU Regulation 1109/2009. In addition to these two immediate concerns, it has also been shown that herbicides have partly been responsible for recent declines in farmland biodiversity and hence a negative impact on the associated ecosystem services. The over-reliance on chemical control of weeds has highlighted the need for Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies that combine non-chemical management options that reduce either weed density or competition with the crop.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Non-chemical weed control", "Cultural weed control", "Herbicides", "13. Climate action", "Biological control", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Biological control; Cultural weed control; Herbicides; Non-chemical weed control; Soil tillage", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Soil tillage"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1564/v31_aug_02"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Outlooks%20on%20Pest%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1564/v31_aug_02", "name": "item", "description": "10.1564/v31_aug_02", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1564/v31_aug_02"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-08-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3389/fagro.2022.841086", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:45Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-03-07", "title": "Laser Weeding with Small Autonomous Vehicles: Friends or Foes?", "description": "Weed control is necessary to ensure a high crop yield with good quality. Herbicide application and mechanical weeding are the most common methods worldwide. The use of herbicides has led to the increasing occurrence of herbicide-resistant weeds and unwanted contamination of the environment. Mechanical weed control harms beneficial organisms, increases the degradation of organic matter, may dry out the soil, and stimulate new cohorts of weed seeds to germinate. Therefore, there is a need to develop more sustainable weed control means. We suggest using small autonomous vehicles equipped with lasers as a sustainable alternative method. Laser beams are based on electricity, which can be produced from non-fossil fuels. Deep learning methods can be used to locate and identify weed and crop plants for targeting and delivery of laser energy with robotic actuators. Given the targeted nature of laser beams, the area exposed for weed control can be reduced substantially compared to commonly used weed control methods. Therefore, the risk of affecting non-target organisms is minimized, and the soil will be kept untouched in the field, avoiding triggering weed seeds to germinate. Small autonomous vehicles may have limited weeding capacity, and precautions need to be taken as reflections from the laser beam can be harmful to humans and animals. In this paper, we discuss the pros and cons of replacing or supplementing common used weed control methods with laser weeding. The ability to use laser weeding technology is relatively new and not yet widely practiced or commercially available. Therefore, we do not discuss and compare the costs of the various methods at this early stage of the development of the technology.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "S", "alternative weed control", " integrated weed management", " non-chemical weed control", " site-specific weed management", " thermal weed control", " weed killers", "non-chemical weed control", "Plant culture", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "SB1-1110", "thermal weed control", "integrated weed management", "13. Climate action", "site-specific weed management", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "weed killers", "alternative weed control"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Andreasen Christian, Scholle Karsten, Saberi Mahin,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2022.841086"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Frontiers%20in%20Agronomy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3389/fagro.2022.841086", "name": "item", "description": "10.3389/fagro.2022.841086", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3389/fagro.2022.841086"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-03-07T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/agronomy10101616", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-11-20", "title": "A Concept of a Compact and Inexpensive Device for Controlling Weeds with Laser Beams", "description": "A prototype of a relatively cheap laser-based weeding device was developed and tested on couch grass (Elytrigia repens (L.) Desv. ex Nevski) mixed with tomatoes. Three types of laser were used (0.3 W, 1 W, and 5 W). A neural network was trained to identify the weed plants, and a laser guidance system estimated the coordinates of the weed. An algorithm was developed to estimate the energy necessary to harm the weed plants. We also developed a decision model for the weed control device. The energy required to damage a plant depended on the diameter of the plant which was related to plant length. The 1 W laser was not sufficient to eliminate all weed plants and required too long exposure time. The 5 W laser was more efficient but also harmed the crop if the laser beam became split into two during the weeding process. There were several challenges with the device, which needs to be improved upon. In particular, the time of exposure needs to be reduced significantly. Still, the research showed that it is possible to develop a concept for laser weeding using relatively cheap equipment, which can work in complicated situations where weeds and crop are mixed.
", "keywords": ["thermal weed control", "laser-weeding; laser-based weed control; non-chemical weed control; thermal weed control", "S", "non-chemical weed control", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "laser-based weed control", "laser-weeding"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/10/1616/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/10/1616/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10101616"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/SSRN%20Electronic%20Journal", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/agronomy10101616", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/agronomy10101616", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/agronomy10101616"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/plants9060715", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:21:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-06-04", "title": "Biology and Management of Vulpia myuros\u2014An Emerging Weed Problem in No-Till Cropping Systems in Europe", "description": "Recently, Vulpia myuros has become a problematic grass weed species in parts of Europe. It is most common in no-till cropping systems. The inherent tolerance to several selective grass weed herbicides is of serious concern to the successful management of V. myuros in arable farming. Here, we reviewed the available knowledge about the biology of V. myuros to identify knowledge gaps and assess management efforts to identify best practices for control. V. myuros is a winter-annual species producing seeds with a short dormancy that can germinate at a wide range of conditions. Seed longevity in the soil is short. Little information is available on the influence of V. myuros on crop yield but some results suggest that yield losses can be significant. The findings provide a better understanding of the weedy characteristics of V. myuros and highlight that management strategies in Europe need to be diversified and integrate preventive and cultural control methods. Finally, we identify some of the management tools that should be considered to minimize the impact of V. myuros on European farming and future needs for research to develop sustainable integrated weed management strategies.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "non-chemical weed control", "seed dormancy", "Botany", "seed germination", "Review", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "seed longevity", "chemical control", "vernalization", "cultural weed control", "integrated weed management", "QK1-989", "life cycle", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/6/715/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9060715"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plants", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/plants9060715", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/plants9060715", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/plants9060715"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-06-03T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/rs13214486", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:21:08Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-11-09", "title": "Deep Neural Networks to Detect Weeds from Crops in Agricultural Environments in Real-Time: A Review", "description": "Automation, including machine learning technologies, are becoming increasingly crucial in agriculture to increase productivity. Machine vision is one of the most popular parts of machine learning and has been widely used where advanced automation and control have been required. The trend has shifted from classical image processing and machine learning techniques to modern artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL) methods. Based on large training datasets and pre-trained models, DL-based methods have proven to be more accurate than previous traditional techniques. Machine vision has wide applications in agriculture, including the detection of weeds and pests in crops. Variation in lighting conditions, failures to transfer learning, and object occlusion constitute key challenges in this domain. Recently, DL has gained much attention due to its advantages in object detection, classification, and feature extraction. DL algorithms can automatically extract information from large amounts of data used to model complex problems and is, therefore, suitable for detecting and classifying weeds and crops. We present a systematic review of AI-based systems to detect weeds, emphasizing recent trends in DL. Various DL methods are discussed to clarify their overall potential, usefulness, and performance. This study indicates that several limitations obstruct the widespread adoption of AI/DL in commercial applications. Recommendations for overcoming these challenges are summarized.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "precision agriculture", "deep learning in agriculture; precision agriculture; weed detection; robotic weed control; machine vision for weed control", "Precision agriculture", "Machine vision for weed control", "robotic weed control", "weed detection", "Science", "Q", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "01 natural sciences", "deep learning in agriculture", "Deep learning in agriculture", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "machine vision for weed control", "Weed detection", "Robotic weed control"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/21/4486/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13214486"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Remote%20Sensing", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/rs13214486", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/rs13214486", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/rs13214486"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.15303209", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:23:00Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Yield, soil and management data of the Frick long-term experiment on tillage, fertilization and biodynamic preparations on a Stagnic Eutric Cambisol in Switzerland", "description": "This dataset is part of the database compiled as an outcome of Work Area 1 in project OrganicYieldsUP. Variable definitions can be found here: \u00a0https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15276082 In Frick (Switzerland), a long-term experiment was established at the farm of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in autumn 2002 on a clay loam (Stagnic Eutric Cambisol). In this three-factorial experiment, a reduced tillage system with a chisel plough to a depth of 10 cm is compared to conventional ploughing to a depth of approx. 20 cm, a liquid manure system is compared to a compost manure system and the adding of biodynamic preparations is compared to none preparations. Biodynamic preparations had been assessed previously in system comparison experiments, however, their effect is difficult to elucidate separately in a system comparison approach. One reason for setting up this experiment was therefore a demand among farmers and researchers in early 2000 to disentangle the influence of biodynamic preparations from the influence of manure compost on soil fertility. On the other hand, it should be tested if and how reduced tillage is feasible in organic farming.\u00a0This dataset consists of plot data for yield, soil and management from 2002 to 2018. The crop rotation at the start of the experiment was winter wheat, sunflower, spelt and two years of grass clover. Sunflower was excluded after 2010 because of total yield loss due to slugs. For yield, total aboveground plant biomass is given for silage maize, grass-clover and cover crops, grain yield for winter wheat, spelt and sunflowers. Total nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the yield components are given as well. Weed data is given as total weed cover and/or total weed biomass in the years with row crops. For pests and diseases, Fusarium toxins (DON) are given for 2003 and slug emergence for 2010. For soil data, soil organic carbon content, total nitrogen content and pH are given plotwise for the layers 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm in three year intervals generally. Bulk density is available for some years and plots. This dataset has been evaluated and published in a research paper by Maike Krauss, Alfred Berner, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Perrochet, Robert Frei, Urs Niggli and Paul M\u00e4der (2020): Enhanced soil quality with reduced tillage an solid manures in organic farming \u2013 a synthesis of 15 years. Scientific Reports 10:4403, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61320-8 We are grateful for the financial support in running the field trial by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) and following foundations: Software AG - Stiftung (DE), Stiftung zur Pflege von Mensch, Mitwelt und Erde (CH), Stiftung Edith Maryon (CHF), the COOP Sustainability Fund and the CORE Organic II funding bodies, being partners of the FP7 ERA-Net project TILMAN-ORG (www.coreorganic2.org).", "keywords": ["Organic Agriculture", "Animal manure", "Weed Control/statistics & numerical data", "Organic farming", "Nitrogen", "Yield (agricultural)", "Plant Weeds", "Ph-value", "Compost", "Soil fertility", "Weed", "Tillage", "Field experiment", "Crop rotation", "Long-term experiment", "Agricultural pest", "Liquid manure", "biodynamic preparations", "Organic carbon"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Grosse, Meike, Berner, Alfred, Perrochet, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric, Frei, Robert, M\u00e4der, Paul, Krauss, Maike,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15303209"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.15303209", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.15303209", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.15303209"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-04-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.7517468", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:23:42Z", "type": "Journal Article", "title": "Selection of suitable legumes for relay intercropping with durum wheat in mediterranean cereal-based cropping systems", "description": "The increased interest in sustainable agricultural systems has led to significant developments in cropping practices that allow to preserve crop productivity and reduce the reliance on herbicides and nitrogen fertilizers. Relay intercropping of legumes in wheat may represent a proficient practice to maintain crop productivity, improve soil fertility and support weed control at crop rotation level, if appropriate associated legumes are used. The objective of this study is to select suited legumes for relay intercropping with durum wheat in central Italy among a wide range of taxa (Medicago sativa, Medicago varia, Medicago lupulina, Trifolium repens, Hedysarum coronarium, Trifolium alexandrinum, Trifolium incarnatum, Trifolium resupinatum, Vicia villosa, Medicago polymorpha, Medicago rotata, Medicago scutellata, Medicago truncatula, and, 3 subsp. of Trifolium subterraneum). This study was carried out at the Centre for Agro-Environmental Research \u201cEnrico Avanzi\u201d in Pisa (Italy) in 2017/18 and repeated in the 2018/19 cropping season. According to the results obtained during 2017/18, legumes were reduced in 2018/19 excluding the least performing ones. The experiment was organized in a randomized complete block design with four replicates and the sole wheat crop as control. No pesticides or fertilizers were used. The evaluation was focused on i) legume establishment in the already developed wheat, ii) grain production and quality, iii) weed control before and after the wheat harvest, iv) legume persistence and growth after wheat harvest and, v) effects on the following crop. Legumes, indeed, were incorporated into the soil the following spring and forage sorghum was seeded. Results of this study showed that relay intercropped legumes preserved wheat production and reduced weed biomass up to the 70% in comparison with the control. After wheat harvest legumes persisted in the field, as dead mulch or cover crop according to the different life cycle of the tested legumes, until the sowing of sorghum. Dead mulch of annual legumes resulted unsuitable to contrast weeds while, perennial and annual self-seeding legumes as M.polymorpha and T.subterraneum, showed overall good weed control and biomass accumulation. Legume biomass at spring soil incorporation, was the most important factor related with sorghum production. Sorghum, preceded by T. subterranum, H. coronarium and T. repens, had a higher biomass production than the control and was comparable with the productive level that can be obtained under conventional systems. The overall assessment of legumes used in this study, allows to select the most suited ones for relay intercropping with durum wheat for the local environmental condition.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Cover crops", "15. Life on land", "Legumes", "Weed control", "Relay intercropping"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Leoni, Federico, Mariateresa Lazzaro, Carlesi, Stefano, Moonen, Anna-Camilla,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7517468"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/19th%20EWRS%20Symposium", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.7517468", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.7517468", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.7517468"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-09-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10316/114116", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-25T16:24:47Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-12-02", "title": "Knowledge and perceptions of invasive plant biocontrol in Europe versus the rest of the world", "description": "Biological control (BC) of invasive alien plants (IAP) can be an effective environmental management approach. It has only very recently been adopted in Europe and is underutilized compared to other continents where this method has been successfully implemented for over a century. This is in sharp contrast to the BC of invertebrate pests, which has been taken up widely within Europe. It has been suggested that this is related to the risk-adverse attitude of Europeans towards weed BC. Scientific and public perception have a major influence on environmental policy actions. Public perception and knowledge regarding BC is an understudied subject despite its relevance for the application of this management alternative. We aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of BC of IAP among European professionals compared with their peers from other continents. To this end we conducted an online survey including multiple choice and open questions among over 700 people professionally engaged with managing the natural environment, of which approximately half were from Europe (EU) and the others from outside (non-EU). We assessed relationships between the geographical location of the respondents and their knowledge, and perceptions of BC of weeds versus BC of invertebrate pests. We found that respondents' location influenced both perceptions and knowledge of BC for weeds. Compared to non-EU respondents, EU professionals showed less appreciation for BC (e.g., regarding safety, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness), and perceived it as a riskier method, particularly in the case of practitioners and researchers. More profoundly insect pest BC tended to be considered less safe than weed BC for non-EU respondents. Confidence in weed BC as a method, as well as in the validity of the associated pre-release risk assessments, strongly increased with the level of expertise in weed BC. While a much higher proportion of non-EU respondents were correctly aware of the presence/absence of BC in their own countries and identified successful examples of BC accurately, both groups of respondents were similarly aware of unsuccessful BC examples, including BC agents against animals, stressing the bias of EU respondents towards examples of BC failure. The appreciation of weed BC in Europe could be elevated by a combination of increasing knowledge of the technique and pre-release risk assessment and promoting successful examples of weed BC, which may bring major benefits for the management of IAP across the region.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Public perception", "Weed Control", "Plant Weeds", "Environment", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Europe", "Attitude", "13. Climate action", "Biological control", "Europe Weeds", "Animals", "Weeds", "Survey", "ta218"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10316/114116"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Environmental%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10316/114116", "name": "item", "description": "10316/114116", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10316/114116"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "1887/3192725", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:25:18Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-04-21", "title": "Biological weed control to relieve millions from Ambrosia allergies in Europe", "description": "AbstractInvasive alien species (IAS) can substantially affect ecosystem services and human well-being. However, quantitative assessments of their impact on human health are rare and the benefits of implementing IAS management likely to be underestimated. Here we report the effects of the allergenic plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia on public health in Europe and the potential impact of the accidentally introduced leaf beetle Ophraella communa on the number of patients and healthcare costs. We find that, prior to the establishment of O. communa, some 13.5 million persons suffered from Ambrosia-induced allergies in Europe, causing costs of Euro 7.4 billion annually. Our projections reveal that biological control of A. artemisiifolia will reduce the number of patients by approximately 2.3 million and the health costs by Euro 1.1 billion per year. Our conservative calculations indicate that the currently discussed economic costs of IAS underestimate the real costs and thus also the benefits from biological control.