Hot foam could be the weed killer of the future

 Hot foam applications represent a new, smart concept in the area of thermal weed control and are proposed as an evolution of simple hot water or steam applications. The change lies in the additional use of biodegradable foaming agents . The advantage of foam is that it isolates the weed from the ambient air at the time of treatment and transfers all the heat energy to the plant tissues instead of escaping into the atmosphere. Foamstream ® machines (WeedingtechTM Ltd., London, UK) enable the practical implementation of this herbicide–free weed control option that overcomes several of the drawbacks associated with the use of synthetic herbicides and conventional thermal weed control methods and contact bioherbicides. The application of hot foam can also be a smart, effective weed control method in olive groves and orchards, providing an alternative to glyphosate and being more effective compared to other non–chemical methods.

Hot foam: Evaluation of a new, non-chemical weed control option in perennial crops Nikolaos Antonopoulos et al Smart Agricultural Technology Volume 3, February 2023, 100063



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