IFOAM Organics Europe Webinar explores no-till and mechanical weeding strategies

On 7 December, more than 88 participants attended IFOAM Organics Europe’s webinar Weed control in organic farming – value and risks of different no-till and mechanical weeding techniques. Are you a farmer, an organic (farming) enthusiast or this webinar simply sounds interesting to you? The webinar was recorded and the video is available below. 

The webinar was hosted by Alba Saez, R&I Coordinator at IFOAM Organics Europe and organic sector leader (cross-cutting sector) at IPMWORKS. After an interactive welcoming speech and introduction to the topic, they gave the word to Bo Melander. Bo presented different mechanical techniques such as interrow hoeing, weed harrowing, flame-weeding and beach cleaner, as well as some more advanced automated AI-based weeding options. He is a Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark experienced in physical, preventive, and cultural weed management in organic and conventional cropping systems. He referred to his research and showed participants the benefits of different treatment combinations when applied to different crops.  

Our second speaker, a passionate organic farmer, gave a masterclass of dos and don’ts when using high precision weed control treatments. As founder of the Organic Centre in central Poland Bart Piskorski aims to support both organic and sustainable farms with knowledge and practice. 

This webinar was part of the EU-funded project IPMWORKS. It promotes the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, based on a EU-wide network of farmers, who will both progress further in the adoption of IPM – through peer-to-peer learning and joint efforts – and demonstrate to other farmers holistic IPM approaches. IFOAM Organics Europe is a partner in the project.  

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