Innovative crop and weed management strategies in organic spinach: machine performances and cultivation costs

Weed competition is one of the most serious problems in vegetable crops. Physical and cultural methods represent the only adoptable solutions in organic farming systems. A two-year (2006-08) on-farm research is being carried out to test innovative operative machines for physical weed control on a typical vegetable crop sequence in the Arno Valley (Pisa, Italy). In this work we present the first results, obtained on organic fresh market spinach (Spinacia oleracea). The new strategy is compared with the standard crop and weed management system, characterised by the use of biodegradable maize starch mulch, and with a system in which the use of improved physical methods is coupled with the use of a subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) living mulch. Performances of the operative machines, labour time requirement and cultivation costs of the three crop and weed management systems are reported. The two innovative strategies showed interesting results, determining effective weed control and a significant reduction of costs for working and hand labour (-70%)