Trevor James

Citation

Thesis Title
Characterisation of Herbicide Behaviour In some Innovative Growing Media

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Mr James studied the behaviour and fate of herbicides in sawdust and paper pulp. These two materials are frequently waste products from the forestry industry, but have the potential to be used in the arable cropping industry as soil amendments. In this capacity, these waste products can raise the organic carbon content and improve the structure of the soil. However, their high carbon content is likely to interfere with some normal growing practices, especially weed management by herbicides. A series of experiments showed that these waste products do affect the behaviour of herbicides in the soil, including how rapidly they are degraded and also how readily they move within the soil. This research will enable farmers to apply herbicides in situations where these soil amendments have been used without the fear of harming their crops, failing to control the weeds, or causing environmental damage through leaching or runoff.

Supervisors
Associate Professor Kerry Harrington
Dr Patrick Holland
Professor Asheq Rahman