ARS | Publication request: AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS OF VINEGAR

Submitted to: Proceedings of Northeastern Weed Science Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 6, 2003
Publication Date: January 16, 2003
Citation: RADHAKRISHNAN, J., TEASDALE, J.R., COFFMAN, C.B. AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS OF VINEGAR. PROCEEDINGS OF NORTHEASTERN WEED SCIENCE SOCIETY. 2003.

Technical Abstract: The objectives of these studies were to evaluate 1) the efficacy of vinegar to control weeds when used as a directed spray at the base of crops, 2) rates and volume of vinegar required to achieve weed control when broadcast, and 3) soil drench as a method of control for Canada thistle. The injury to corn in the first experiment ranged from 5-35%. The replicated experiments suggested that the foliar application damaged corn more than the basal spray and the 20 % application was more injurious to corn than the 10% application. The corn grain yields did not show significant differences for all treatments from the weed free controls but the coefficient of variability was very high at 55% due to extreme droughty conditions. The crop injury in soybeans ranged from 5 to 45%, with the younger plants showing more injury than older plants. The soybean yields did not show significant differences among the weed free controls and the vinegar treatments. In all the trials weed control ranged from 90 to100 percent. An investigation of the effect of vinegar soil drench in an established Canada thistle patch was conducted on an Elkton silt loam soil. The results showed 90% reduction in the number of stems and plant biomass in all vinegar treatments compared to the control. The pH of the soils ranged from 5.9 to 6.6 at the beginning of the experiment in October 2001 and declined to 4.7 to 5.2 in the vinegar treated plots a month later. However, the pH in the treated plots ranged from 5.8 to 7.1 by April of the following year.