Evaluation of the use of lenacil for weed control in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

Abstract

The action of the herbicide lenacil on spinach cultivation was evaluated, with the overall object of reaching a compromise between an advanced agronomic technique and environmental protection. A spinach crop was treated at pre-emergence with Venzar® at the dosage of 1.0 kg ha-1 and the residues were analyzed in spinach plants collected 30 and 60 days later. One month after lenacil spraying, the concentration of residues in spinach leaves was 0.102 ppm, whereas two months after the treatment the amount of residues was drastically reduced to 0.009 ppm. The efficacy of lenacil in weed control, measured in 60% reduction of weed density, was assessed in comparison to untreated plots