Under HDPE film mulching cropping system, the objective of this study is to select the optimal thickness of HDPE film for rice production. Herein, we investigated the effect of various thickness of HDPE film on physiological index of rice, soil parameter and weed control, etc. It is hoped that our study could improve current management strategies in rice production. Ontario is one of the leading provinces in Canada in production of dry bean , producing 118,000 MT of dry bean on 49,000 hectares with a farm-gate value of approximately $108 million in 2012 . Major market classes of dry bean grown in Ontario include black, cranberry, kidney, and white bean. Dry beans are very sensitive to weed interference resulting in substantial yield losses. In research conducted in Ontario the average yield loss due to weed interference in winter wheat was 2%, in spring cereals 12%, in soybean 40%, in corn 52% and in dry beans 58% . More research is needed to identify new weed management herbicide options that have an adequate margin of crop safety, provide consistent broad spectrum weed control, have low environmental impact and maximize dry bean yield and net returns.
Halosulfuron is a sulfonylurea herbicide that controls nutsedge species , redroot pigweed , common lambsquarters , wild mustard , ladysthumb , velvetleaf and cocklebur , including triazine resistant biotypes . Halosufuron is readily absorbed by roots and foliage and is translocated throughout the plant causing rapid growth inhibition in susceptible plants. Halosulfuron can be applied preplant incorporated , preemergence or postemergence . Injury symptoms in susceptible plants include chlorosis, death of the growing point and complete death within 14 – 21 days Halosulfuron has low environmental impact as it is active at low doses, has low mammalian toxicity,cannabis grow trays and is relatively immobile in soils . Halosulfuron will be available for the first time in the Ontario market during the 2014 field season. Halosulfuron will provide Ontario dry bean growers with a new, low-use-rate herbicide that provides full-season control of a number of annual broadleaf weeds. There is little information on the crop safety and efficacy of halosulfuron applied PPI, PRE and POST to control broadleaf weeds in dry bean under environmental conditions in Ontario. Mangroves are habitat specific and inhabit swampy and saline environment Mangrove weed are plants that are found in disturbed mangrove forest such as reclaimed land, sand filled and dredged sites .
Weeds are unwanted plants that grow in any place that is favorable for their growth and survival such as water, soil, tree trunk, wall of building and coastal soil.For instance these weeds can change the ecology of the area by supplying or utilizing soil nutrients, which may be detrimental to the native species Weed can affect fish spawning capability by obstructing breeding grounds ; they can also increase the heavy metal concentration through the actions of their root, which break up the parent soil to expose more metals. Humans also introduce seeds of weed into the mangrove forests, which embed in the soil and grow. Growth of weed in disturbed mangrove forests converts indigenous mangrove soil to sandy soil. The weed species are able to grow at the fringes and perimeters of the mangrove forest that had been cut down for the purpose of creating access way for pipelines .
This is because the pipeline route is usually covered with sandy soils brought elsewhere, which further introduce and accelerate weed growth . Furthermore, the sand filling of mangrove forest also changes the soil chemistry when muddy soils are converted to sandy soil. Change in soil chemistry can lead to increased heavy metal load, which has ripple effect on the aquatic environment . For instance, fishes and other aquatic organisms bioaccumulate the excess heavy metals, which they pass on to humans who feed on them Over the years several questions had been asked as to the role played by the mangrove weeds, which are often found in degraded mangrove forests. Do these foreign plants growing in mangrove forest play positive and/or negative roles? These questions are yet to be addressed. However, it is revealed by previous studies that in agricultural farms weeds can act as habitat for insect pollinators e.g. butterfly, grasshoppers, praying mantis beetles etc., which is a positive role for nearby plants. Nevertheless, weeds can play negative role by acting as nesting sites for pathogenic organisms such as mosquitoes, black fly etc. .