It’s been over one hundred years since the powered rotary hoe was invented, and we may not be done with it quite yet. Research by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is being conducted around using the rotary hoe as a weed management tool in pulses, inspired in combination by previous work in the organic sector and the growing concern over herbicide resistance.
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In this Pulse School episode, Eric Johnson, weed biologist and officer-in-charge with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, walks us through trials looking at incorporating granular ethalfluralin with a rotary hoe in the fall and using the rotary hoe as a weed management tool after seeding pulses. The rotary hoe is hoped to provide some incorporation of the ethalfluralin and will likely show less disturbance than a harrow, while overcoming the problems of excess trash. Johnson explains timing, optimum speeds, the implications this research may have and how the trials look so far.