Projects of University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture
Environmental friendly control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia with a combination of reduce herbicide dose and phenolic acids
| Status | In progress |
|---|---|
| Acronym | PHENOMENA |
| Summary | Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (common ragweed) is a weedy, invasive and extremely allergenic plant species, making it one of the most harmful species in Europe. The allergenic pollen it produces is a public health concern, and its large presence in spring crops makes it an economically important species that is usually controlled with chemically synthesized herbicides. Recently, however, resistant populations of common ragweed have been detected in soybean and maize crops in the Republic of Croatia, making them difficult to control and consequently preventing the cultivation of these important agricultural crops. In addition, EU agricultural policy calls for less pesticide-dependent agricultural production due to soil, water, and air pollution and biodiversity reduction. Therefore, alternative solutions for weed control that are less dependent on herbicide use are imperative. The selection of common ragweed as a model species to explore this approach is justified from both agricultural and medical perspectives. The main objective of the project is to investigate the possibility of foliar application of phenolic acids and their combination with significantly reduced herbicide doses for common ragweed suppression. Previous in vitro research has selected three phenolic acids (p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and vanillic acid) that are naturally present in the tissues of crop species for green manuring and can inhibit common ragweed germination and seedling growth. The proposed project will determine the dynamics of common ragweed germination at different concentrations of phenolic acids and determine the amount of carotenoids, phenols, antioxidant activity, and chlorophyll fluorescence in common ragweed plants foliar treated with phenolic acids. To determine the selective effect of phenolic acids on non-target organisms, indicators of soil biological fertility, minimum inhibitory, minimum bactericidal/fungicidal, and minimum insecticidal concentrations of phenolic acids for selected representatives of soil microbiota and fauna will be determined by in vitro and in situ studies. The selective dose of phenolic acids to nontarget organisms will then be combined with reduced doses of the six maize and soybean herbicides studied to determine the effective dose of each herbicide on common ragweed and compare it to independent (without phenolic acid addition) application of the same herbicides. Finally, the selectivity of maize and soybean crops will be determined after combining a reduced herbicide dose + phenolic acid, which is effective for common ragweed and selective for beneficial organisms in the soil. |
| Line of financing |
Croatian Science Foundation |
| Duration | 21.02.2023. - 21.12.2027. |
| Budget amount | 179.933,58 EUR |
| AFZ role in project | Lead |