Oper 8 - About alternative weed control

Agronomist expertise on various agrotechnical solutions to reduce herbicide use

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 07:43:55 GMT

The podcast was made about alternative weed control solutions. Hosted by Iveta Grudovska, the episode features agronomists Rihards Berķis and Aigars Šutka, who discuss the challenges posed by weeds and the current prevalence of methods such as mechanical control and precise spraying. A major topic is the potential of precision spraying technologies, which use GPS and cameras to reduce the use of plant protection products. The discussion also covers agronomic methods like catchcrops, crop rotation and adjusting seeding rates as methods to manage weeds.

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Cover crops under the vine row.

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:14:22 GMT

Laure Gontier, expert in Oper8 project, carried out several trials to understand better the implementation options, advantages and drawbacks of covering the area under the vines. Different types of permanent cover crops (spontaneous, clovers...) have been tested. Full soil coverage is also discussed in this podcast.

Participants: Camille Guilbert, viticulture engineer at IFV - French Wine and Vine Institute, France and Laure Gontier, cover crops and soil expert at IFV - French Wine and Vine Institute, France

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Agroforestry in Vineyards: Insights from NW Spain

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:22:20 GMT

Listen to Professor Rosa Mosquera at University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) in Spain, explaining how agroforestry can improve vineyard sustainability, combining animals, trees, vines, and biodiversity for resilient wine production.

In spanish

La profesora Rosa Mosquera explica cómo los sistemas agroforestales mejoran la sostenibilidad de los viñedos, integrando animales, árboles, viñas y biodiversidad para una producción más resiliente.

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Mulching for Horticulture: The Os Biosbardos Experience

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:27:32 GMT

Meet Miguel Roig from Os Biosbardos Farm in Spain, sharing how mulching enhances horticultural production, improving soil health, weed control, and sustainability in vegetable crops.

In Spanish

Miguel Roig, de la Granja Os Biosbardos, cuenta cómo el acolchado mejora la producción hortícola, favoreciendo la salud del suelo, el control de malas hierbas y la sostenibilidad en los cultivos.

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Weed in horticultural crops

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 09:26:37 GMT

In this PodCast Thomas Börjesson, Agroväst in Sweden, discuss the different solutions for reducing the use of herbicides in horticultural crops with Agneta Sundgren, weed specialist at Swedish Board of Agriculture.

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Dead mulch for weed management in vineyards in the under-row area

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 19:33:10 GMT

In this episode of the Oper8 Podcast, Lorenzo Gagliardi and Lorenzo Tramacere discuss the use of dead mulch in the under-row area of vineyards as an agroecological strategy for weed control. The conversation explores how the technique works, the equipment involved, its benefits for soil health and water conservation, as well as its limitations and site-specific considerations. Practical insights and recommendations are shared based on real experiences from farmers participating in the Oper8 project.

Participants: Lorenzo Gagliardi and Lorenzo Gagliardi - Researchers at the University of Pisa, Italy

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Mechanical under-row weed control in vineyards

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 19:04:12 GMT

In this episode, Lorenzo Gabriele Tramacere interviews Lorenzo Gagliardi on the use of mechanical techniques for under-row weed control in vineyards—one of the most promising alternatives to herbicides explored in the European Oper8 project. The discussion covers key tools such as blade weeders, rollhacke, and mulchers with wires, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and agronomic and environmental impacts. A valuable insight for winegrowers and technicians interested in sustainable soil management practices.

Participants: Lorenzo Gagliardi - Researcher at the University of Pisa, Italy and Lorenzo Tramacere, NNO for Italy - Researcher at the University of Pisa, Italy

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Mulch solution under the vine row

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:55:04 GMT

Fanny Prezman, viticulture engineer at the French Wine and Vine Institute, oversees mulch trials in vineyards. She provides us with technical information about various mulch material used under the vine row for weed control. She also gives us some practical and economical information to assess the feasibility and economic viability of this solution.

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Electrical weeding deep dive Part 2 - Exploring the current state of electrical weeding and new technological approaches

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 22:36:53 GMT

Electrical weeding deep dive Part 2 - Exploring the current state of electrical weeding and new technological approaches

In part 2 of this deep dive into electrical weeding, Matthew Smee - The Organic Research Centre is back with Dr Charles ‘Merf’ Merfield, Head of the BHU Future Farming Centre. Merf continues his exploration of all things electrical weeding, looking at the current state of electrical weeding technology and explores the machinery available on the market.

Dr Charles Merfield is the author of ‘A comprehensive guide to electrical weed management’

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Electrical Weeding Deep Dive Part 1 - Exploring the history and development of electrical weeding

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 22:29:18 GMT

Electrical Weeding Deep Dive Part 1 - Exploring the history and development of electrical weeding

In this podcast Matthew Smee - The Organic Research Centre, are joined by Dr Charles ‘Merf’ Merfield, Head of the BHU Future Farming Centre. In part one of this deep dive into all things electrical weeding Merf takes us through the history of electrical weeding, the difference between electrical thermal and electrical biological wedding and discusses the how electrical weeding could be the future for non-chemical weed control.

Dr Charles Merfield is the author of ‘A comprehensive guide to electrical weed management’

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Cover crops and how the benefit perennial crops

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 22:26:46 GMT

In this episode, Olga Kreizi discusses with Nikos Antonopoulos, expert in sustainable agriculture, about cover Crops and how the benefit perennial crops, like vineyards, orchards and more.

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Cultural farming practices and techniques.

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:45:33 GMT

In this episode, Olga discusses with Dr. Ioannis Gazoulis about cultural farming practices and techniques, with a focus on false and stale seedbeds—a crucial but sometimes overlooked practice in wheat farming that can significantly impact crop yield.

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Technical solutions to reduce the use of herbicides

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 11:56:10 GMT

In this podcast you will meet Kristian Johnnick, Agroväst, having a general discussion with Jonas Schön, Swedish Bord of Agriculture on the background to why the use of herbicides needs to be reduced, which technical solutions that are available and some practical advise for farmers.

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Drones for site specific weed control and other purposes

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 09:17:35 GMT

In this podcast Thomas Börjesson, Agroväst, have a discussion with Igor Tihonov, founder and CEO of Solvi, a company specialized in providing drone based solutions for crop and weed mapping. Igor describes shortly the results obtained within the Swedish Operation Group and how the applications have been developed further by Solvi.

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Essential oils as a tool for managing weeds

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 11:21:49 GMT

We focused on the CONTECAD project in Galicia, which was funded by grants from EIP-AGRI and FEADER in the Galicia RDP 2014-2020. CONTECAD undertook a regional project to verify if the use of essential oils as natural herbicides was effective in horticultural crops in Galicia. The project involved creating a unique formulation to test the compatibility of these oils with conventional insecticides in crop protection. Additionally, application protocols were established to define technical specifications such as dosage, compatibility with insecticides, application conditions, and specific requirements for predominant weed species, primarily for use in organic agriculture.

Join us as we uncovered CONTECAD's pioneering initiatives in transforming weed control techniques and promoting sustainable agriculture in Galicia, guided by Antonio Rigueiro Rodríguez. Professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela, full member of the Royal Galician Academy of Sciences (RAGC), president of the Forest Association of Galicia, and one of the leading researchers involved in the CONTECAD project.

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Alternative weed control solution in small grains: direct methods

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:46:43 GMT

The podcast was made about alternative weed control solutions in small grains as it is the most popular grown crop in Latvia. Winter wheat accounts for more than 30% all sowing area in Latvia, therefore the main accent is made to the solutions, which are related to the winter wheat growing and crops which go into crop rotation with it. The survey of Latvian National Network showed, that farmers, scientists, consultants gave the preference to the direct methods and evaluated the mechanical weeding, precise spraying and crop rotation as more promising methods. Viktorija Zagorska is the lead researcher at the institute of Plant Protection of the LAtvia University of Life Sciences and technologies and participant of the project OPER8 and Jevgenija Necajeva the expert of the project OPER8 are discussing the results of the survey and expressing they own opinion on the most promising solutions. The survey participant opinion was presented as well.

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Oper8 overview and electrical weeding

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:54:20 GMT

In this podcast Lynn Tatnell a weed biologist from ADAS explains what's happening within the Oper8 project and goes in to detail on electrical weeding trials took place in grasslands targeting docks & electrical weed management in blackcurrent produciton. Interviewed by Matthew Smee from the Organic Research Centre, also underdiscussionis the role weeds play in on farm biodiversitry and herbicide resistance in the UK.

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Camera-guided mechanical weeding on horticultural crops

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:27:50 GMT

The Oper8 podcast explores innovative weed control solutions in Europe, presented by operational groups from farming organizations, researchers, and academic institutions. Hosted by Olga Kriezi from the Agricultural University of Athens, each episode examines unique strategies employed by these groups.

In this episode, Olga discusses the Greek Operational Group's pioneering work in camera-guided mechanical weeding with Voula Dimitriadou, R&D manager of Tractor GPS. They highlight the integration of RGB cameras and computer vision to enhance weeders, particularly in organic crops like spring onion and broccoli.

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The use of a self-reseeding cover crop under the rows

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:37:53 GMT

Daniele Antichi, Professor of Agronomy and the head of the Oper8 project at the University of Pisa, Italy, is introducing the Italian OG solution for vineyards. He elaborates on the rationale behind and the methods used to test a self-reseeding cover crop under the rows, highlighting the crucial factors for obtaining optimal efficiency and ideal application conditions. Additionally, he addresses the current challenges in enhancing adoption among farmers.

Lorenzo Tramacere, NNO for Italy - Researcher at the University of Pisa, Italy

Daniele Antichi, Responsible in charge of the Oper8 project for Italy - Associate Professor at the Univeristy of Pisa, Italy

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Electrical weeding for viticulture

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:47:21 GMT

Christophe Gaviglio, expert in Oper8 project, and viticulture and mechanization engineer at the French Wine and Vine Institute, is presenting electrical weeding solution for vineyards. He explains why and how he tested this very new solution, what are the key points to reach a good efficiency and to have good application conditions, and what are the current challenges to improve uptake among practitioners.

Christophe Gaviglio, viticulture and mechanization engineer at IFV - French Wine and Vine Institute, France

Camille Guilbert, viticulture engineer at IFV - French Wine and Vine Institute, France

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