Cyperus esculentus is an invasive perennial sedge that can cause huge losses in arable crops. Current control strategies are based on combinations of cultural, mechanical, and chemical measures, repeated over years. Recent commercial releases of safe innovative electric weeders, offer promising alternative opportunities for controlling perennial weeds with high energy/high frequency electricity. To evaluate the effect of a single electrocution application on the efficacy of C. esculentus control, field experiments were performed in two locations in Belgium. Two electric weeding devices were evaluated: Zasso XP300, delivering a high-frequency, phased direct current (maximum voltage of 7000 V and maximum power output of 2000 W per square meter of green biomass, driving speeds between 1.1 and 3.0 km·h⁻¹), and Rootwave Pro, delivering high-frequency alternating current (maximum voltage of 5000 V and power output between 7.5 and 10 kVA, treatment duration of 2 s). The impact of various technical (driving speed and voltage), biotic (clone and growth stage), and abiotic parameters on electrocution efficacy was evaluated. Plant responses to electrocution were evaluated by examining the vitality of treated C. esculentus mother tubers and shoots. Both devices were ineffective at mother tuber control, regardless of their burial depth (−5 cm to −15 cm), but were highly effective against aboveground shoots with reductions of vitality of up to 91% and 100% after a single pass with Zasso XP300 and Rootwave Pro, respectively. Maximum reductions were obtained when electricity was delivered at low speed (1.1 to 1.5 km·h⁻¹) and on 5-leaf shoots without heat or water stress. Remarkably, the lowest efficacies were found on water-stressed soils at the time of application. Voltage had no effect on the degree of C. esculentus control. The efficacy of electricity was not affected by clone, irrespective of electric weeding device. Electrocution is a useful and effective control method within any integrated control strategy for controlling emerged shoots. However, as C. esculentus mother tubers are not affected by a single treatment, season-long repeated treatments are needed to exhaust the mother tubers.

Cyperus esculentus is a hard-to-control, destructive perennial weed propagating and spreading through rhizomes and tubers. Currently, a combination of mechanical, cultural, and chemical measures sustained over time is required for satisfactory control of arable crops. Hood steaming is a promising thermal technique for rapid depletion of the soil tuber bank. The effect of hood steaming on C. esculentus tuber vitality was investigated using a dose–response experiment on two localities in Belgium. Steaming was performed for five durations (2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 min). Moreover, the effects of tuber burial depth (5, 15, and 25 cm), genetic C. esculentus clone (three different clones), and pedohydrological parameters (sandy and sandy, loamy soil) on hood steaming efficacy were determined. Additionally, the heat sensitivity of genetically diverse C. esculentus tubers was investigated in a laboratory incubator experiment in which incubation temperature and duration varied. To control tubers at depths of 5, 15, and 25 cm, treatment durations of 8, 16, and 32 min were required, respectively. In general, clones producing large tubers showed lower heat sensitivity. As pedohydrological parameters may affect heat transfer into the soil, they may affect steaming efficacy as well. To obtain complete control of C. esculentus tubers, soil temperature should be 50 °C or more for at least 42 min. Hood steaming is a highly suitable alternative technique for a rapid and strong depletion of the soil tuber bank in small well-delineated C. esculentus patches.