Study of the effect of the use of herbicides on forest crops of Scots pine

Abstract

Background and Aim. Herbicides are widely used in agriculture to reduce the labor costs required for weed control. However, in Kazakhstan's forestry sector, safe and effective technologies for herbicides application in forest regeneration are still under development. There is a risk of adverseaffects on coniferous species during the process. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine the impact of herbicides on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings and weeds in forest crops.

Materials and Methods. The study examined the effect of herbicides on weeds and Scots pine seedlings using a small scale experimental approach. The research was conducted on three-year-old Scots pine crops.

Results. In the plot treated with Tornado herbicide, the height of experimental plants increased by 9.6%, compared to 6.5% in the control group. The survival rate reached 86.0%, slightly higher than the control (85.4%). The application of Leopard herbicide inhibited the growth of Scots pine seedlings. The height increase was only 5.2% compared to 11.0% in the control, and the survival rate dropped significantly to 65.7%. Both herbicides effectively controlled weeds. The projective cover of weeds fluctuated from 0 to 1% after treatment, indicating almost complete weed mortality.

Conclusion. The results indicate that the use of Tornado herbicide had a positive effect on reducing weeds and promoting the growth of Scots pine seedlings. In contrast, the use of Leopard herbicide negatively impacted the survival and growth of Scots pine seedlings, despite effectively controlling weeds.