STUDY WEED CONTROL

• Learn to identify and control weeds
• Improve farm productivity and sustainability, with better weed management strategies
• Improve your employability in the agricultural industry
• Work on a farm, for a weed control business or in supply of weed control products

Course Content

The course is divided into 7 lessons as follows:

1.  Weed Identification

• Review of the system of plant identification
• Common groups of weeds
• General characteristics of the weeds
• Resource guide

2.  Weed Control Methods

• Different ways to control weeds
• Types of weed problems
• List of plants to avoid
• Profile of some common weeds
• Mulching
• Soil treatments to control plant problems
• Physiological effects of weedicides on plants
• Pesticides terminology

3.  Chemical Weed Control

• Review of commercial groups of herbicides and their use
• Weedicides for home gardens

4.  Weed Control In Specific Situations

• Methods of controlling weeds on turf
• Types of weedicides used
• The law in relation to chemical use
• Commonly used commercial formulations
• Weed control in plant nurseries

5.  Safe Chemical Application

• Safety rules for using chemicals
• Safely storing and mixing of chemicals
• Correct usage of chemicals
• Cleaning up and disposing chemicals
• Basic first aid in relation to chemicals
• Keeping records of chemical usage
• Selection of pump and tanks
• Sprayer maintenance and cleaning
• Effects of chemicals on humans and animals

6.  Non-Chemical Weed Control

• Effects of chemical herbicides on the environment
• Biocontrol of pests and diseases
• Advantage and disadvantage of biocontrol

7.  Developing A Major Weed Control Program

• A practical lesson where the student can fully demonstrate their understanding of weed control by devising a weed management plan for a designated area.

Aims

• Distinguish between different types of weeds, and identify common weed species, growing in your locality.
• Understand the characteristics of different weed control methods.
• Explain the use of chemical herbicides to control weeds.
• Specify appropriate weed control methods, for different types of situations.
• Determine appropriate techniques for the safe application of chemical herbicide in a specific situation.
• Explain different non-chemical weed control methods.
• Devise appropriate methods for control of weeds, for specific problems, in both the horticultural and agricultural industries
• Determine a detailed weed control program for a significant weed problem.

What You Will Do

• Observe and consider over 100 different varieties of weeds and prepare plant review sheets for different weed plants.
• Make up a list of information resources.
• Plant, grow and observe different varieties of weeds.
• Make drawings of young seedlings of at least fifteen different weeds.
• Speak/interview people who have to deal with weed control in their daily life.
• Visit a nursery, garden shop or hardware store that sells herbicides to the public.
• Visit at least one supplier of herbicides for industrial and agricultural use.
• Contact larger chemical companies for leaflets on different herbicides.
• Investigate at least two workplaces where weed control programs are regularly carried out.
• Visit and inspect different sites where weeds are a problem.
• Photograph different places that have been treated with weedicides.
• Contact your local Department of Agriculture or Lands Department for researching purposes.
• Visit several farmers who raise different types of livestock.
• Develop a 12 month guideline for an integrated weed control program for a particular site

What is a Weed

A weed is any plant that is growing where you don't want it. A weed will compete with your desired plants for light, space, water and nutrients. A plant could also be a weed because of a particular characteristic; it could be poisonous to stock or humans, if it acts as a host plant to pests and diseases (of both other plants and/or animals), if it has damaging roots, or if it causes allergies.  Any plant has the potential to be a weed.

There are many different ways of controlling weeds, and literally thousands of different weed species which might need controlling. It is always important to use the appropriate treatment for the weed(s) in question. Young weeds are far easier to control than older ones. Some chemicals, for instance will effectively kill certain weeds when they are in the early stages of growth, but will not control other types of weeds. You may need to be able to distinguish between types of weeds to determine whether the chemical will or won't work.

STEPS IN CONTROLLING WEEDS

a) Know what weed or weeds you are dealing with.
b) Know how those varieties grow, and what conditions they do and don't tolerate.
c) Then create conditions which they don't like....
   You need to consider whether you want to kill or just control the weeds.
When you know these things you can consider which method is best for your situation.

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE

• Explain different factors which cause water to be wasted including:
• • Evaporation
  • Run off
  • Over spray
  • Scheduling
• Determine where water is wasted, in both the operation and management of a specified irrigation system
• Determine changes to achieve more efficient water usage, in a specified system.
• Develop guidelines for determining when to irrigate in a particular situation.
• Determine through an analysis, when to irrigate on a studied site, by evaluating soil moisture and other characteristics of a site, periodically over two months, and referencing annual rainfall statistics over a period of years.
• Record in a log book, plant growth and soil moisture for an existing irrigation system operated using two different watering patterns, each for one month, and over two consecutive months.
• Compare differences in varying the scheduling of a watering system over two months
• Prepare an irrigation schedule for a specific garden or crop.
• Develop criteria for designing a specified drainage system.
• Explain the design criteria for a specified drainage requirement.
• Devise strategies for dealing with drainage requirements in emergencies, including:
  • extreme weather (eg. hail, storm)
  • burst pipe
  • blocked drains
• Determine appropriate drainage requirements for a specified situation, and over a specified area, including:
  • Type of drainage required
  • Specifications of drainage required
• Evaluate the operation of a drainage system, installed under irrigation on a site studied by the learner.
• Compare four different irrigation controllers with reference to different criteria including:
  • Labour costs
  • Maintenance
  • Reliability
• Determine appropriate applications for four different types of irrigation controllers
• Explain the operation of a specific brand of time clock, studied by the learner.
• Explain the operation of a specified computerised irrigation controller.
• Develop three different procedures to operate a specific irrigation controller, in order to satisfy three different specified purposes.
• Determine routine site maintenance requirements for different types of irrigation systems including:
  • spray irrigation
  • micro irrigation
  • surface irrigation
  • flood irrigation
• Explain routine site maintenance requirements for different types of irrigation systems including:
  • spray irrigation
  • micro irrigation
  • surface irrigation
  • flood irrigation
• Develop a procedure for maintaining water quality, in a specified irrigation system, at a workplace visited by the learner.
• Explain water quality maintenance activities required for efficient irrigation practices in a specific situation.
• Compare the service supplied by different irrigation suppliers, in terms of scope and quality.
• Develop an irrigation monitoring program, for a specific irrigation system, studied by the learner.
• Write a maintenance schedule for a specified irrigation system.
• Explain the use of fertigation, in a specific horticultural workplace.
• Determine appropriate applications for fertigation in one specific industry sector.
• Determine inappropriate fertigation applications in different specific industry sector.
• Explain why certain applications for fertigation are inappropriate.
• Compare the suitability of six different specified fertilisers for fertigation.
• Determine resources required to undertake fertigation in a specified situation, including:
  • equipment
  • materials
  • manpower
• Collate available data on a specified irrigation system, including:
  • system performance data
  • water supply
  • water consumption
  • crop production or plant growth data
  • climatic trends
  • soil characteristics
  • monitor irrigation performance
• Analyse collated data against different criteria including:
  • benchmarks
  • specifications
  • predictions
• Compile a comprehensive report evaluating a system, which includes:
  • data evaluation
  • performance indicators
  • conclusions
  • recommendations
• Prepare design specifications for storage and distribution of water.
• Explain appropriate methods for recycling, re-use or disposal of water, for three different specified irrigation systems.
  Are there any legal or health considerations?
• Design a drainage system for a specified irrigation system, including:
  • Sketch plans
  • Materials lists
  • Cost estimates
• Determine costing for a specified drainage system.
• Prepare a report recommending design modifications to an existing irrigation system in a specified situation.
• Prepare a design for a micro irrigation system for an area of forty square metres, to a standard which is adequate for a contractor to install the system; and including:
  • Plans
  • Calculations
  • Materials specifications