The killing touch

In Dschang, Cameroon, a simple technique for controlling weeds that are difficult to eradicate in tropical conditions has been developed. The `'magic glove' system consists of a plastic glove with a piece of foam stuck to it which is wetted all the time by a total herbicide. Merely touching the weeds with the glove is enough to kill them. The magic glove uses secondhand material, is simple, easily repaired and is therefore appropriate for small-scale farmers .The foam stuck to the glove is of the kind sold in large rolls for filling cushions, armchairs etc. Discarded hospital drips are filled with a herbicide. The section which formerly contained the needle is removed and the tube fitted into the foam. The container is worn round the neck, the flow rate is adjusted by the regulator on the drip and the fluid passes by gravity down the tube to the glove and wets it. A mixture of one part herbicide to one part of water guarantees the desired effect on most weeds such as, Pteridium aquilinum Tithonia diversifolia, Agertum spp. and Bidens spp. One part of herbicide to four parts of water can also control herbaceous plants like rhizomes, bulbs and bulbils which lack well-developed root systems provided they are well wetted. The treatment uses only a fraction of the herbicide required by conventional spraying. There is no waste because It is precise and only targeted plants are touched. It is also easier to use because the container weighs less than a kilogramme, muck less than the weight of a knapsack sprayer. A Daelemans Dschang University Centre Plant Protection Department 8P 110 Dschang CAMEROON

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Format:	News Item biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation 1992
Online Access:	https://hdl.handle.net/10568/45873 http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta42e/
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