Detailed Guide to Herbicide Application Techniques in Licorice Fields (Part Two)

Weeds can severely affect the yield and quality of licorice, competing with licorice for sunlight, water and nutrients. Some weeds are also intermediate hosts for licorice crop pests and diseases, helping pests and diseases spread and transmit. Especially for artificially cultivated licorice at the seedling stage, if weeds are not removed in time, a large number of seedlings will die, or even the entire crop will be destroyed.

Now, in addition to manual weeding, chemical herbicides are often used for weed control. In our county, the following 3 chemical herbicides are currently promoted for artificially cultivated licorice: acetochlor, pendimethalin, and doucaote. Practice has proved that using chemical herbicides for weed control is an effective measure to ensure the healthy growth of licorice, increase yield, improve quality, and save labor. The application methods of the above 3 commonly used licorice herbicides are introduced below.

1. Acetochlor and pendimethalin: both are pre-emergence soil-sealing agents with similar weed control effects. Timely application can inhibit the germination of many weed seeds, with an application rate of 200 ml per mu (one bottle is suitable for an application area of 1.5 mu), sprayed before irrigation or mixed into the water when watering. The application time should be before weed seeds germinate and emerge; it has no effect on weeds that have already emerged. The effective period is 2-3 months, and it is recommended to apply twice each year.

2. Doucaote: it is specifically for legume crops, has a relatively long effective period, and is sensitive to non-legume crops. Within three years, other crops should not be planted in the treated plot. Each bottle contains 500 ml and is used for an application area of 2.5 mu; it only needs to be applied once a year. It has no effect on lovegrass (commonly known as: xiangyouyou). After spraying, immediately use quizalofop and lingsha to kill lovegrass.