Chemical control

This chapter describes and discusses the available options for chemical control of root parasitic weeds, including foliar and soil application of herbicides, herbicide application in combination with herbicide-resistant crops, use of herbicide-treated seeds, and soil disinfestation by fumigants. Effective chemical control techniques need to deliver the herbicides to the weedy Orobanchaceae at their vulnerable developmental stages, mainly in their early underground developmental stages. The herbicides should be selective and their rates defined for each cropping system and for each application methodology. The chapter presents an updated review of the available chemical control methods for parasitic weeds and deals with precision management of parasitic weeds, which is based on considering the level of soil infestation, the environmental effects, and the phenology of both the parasite and the host.