Integrated weed management and soil quality
Dr. Maria Angelica Ouellette, University of Guelph
Integrated weed management (IWM) is the combined use of various strategies to reduce the presence of weeds that may cause an effect in crop productivity. Keys to understand IWM not only comprise weed aspects such as its emergence and its propensity to become invasive, but also it accounts for morphology, seeding and row density, rotation and nutrient management of the crop. Currently, IWM tools are classified into physical, chemical, cultivar and biological. The challenge today is to find alternative and novel techniques ways to reduce weeds. Hence, it is important to understand crop-weed relations and how can these be used to make agriculture more sustainable.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Maria Angelica Ouellette completed her BSc. Honours Environmental Science at York University. Her MSc. at Dalhousie University consisted of site-specific approaches in blueberry fields. Her PhD. at the University of Guelph is based on herbicide residue effects in cover crop roots and subsequent impact in soil aggregate stability, and fertility. As a BASF research technician in Winkler, Manitoba, she honed her skills in herbicide and fungicide efficacy in field crops currently grown across Canada.