Galinsoga management in organic vegetable production

Description

Galinsoga, Galinsoga quadriradiata Cav., or G. ciliata (Raf.) Blake has been the main concern of many organic and conventional vegetable growers in recent years. It is not very sensitive to photoperiod and flowers all summer till frost time. Seeds show little or no dormancy and germinate on a continuous basis, with up to 10,000 viable seeds per plant. It is hard to eradicate because stems left on the ground can put down roots and immature seeds can continue maturing. It can also interfere with harvesting operations. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of different control strategies. The following physical and cultural control methods were studied: smothering, green manure (buckwheat, oats) and allelopathic plant mulches (beebalm and rye), stale seedbed technique (flaming or vinegar), biofumigation (brown mustard), precision mechanical weeding, and burying seeds using a rototiller. The experiments were carried out at the Organic Agriculture Innovation Platform in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. An on-farm trial including the stale seedbed technique and green manure was also conducted.

Objective(s)

• Develop a galinsoga control strategy based on its biology and behavior on Québec soils:
  • Determine the efficacy of various physical and cultural control methods
  • Study the biology and behavior of galinsoga in Québec