VOA慢速英语2012 Agriculture Report - Getting a Firm Grip on Weed Control

 

Agriculture Report - Getting a Firm Grip on Weed Control

农业报道 - 严格控制杂草

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。

When is a plant considered a weed? Experts at Penn State University have a simple answer: When the undesirable¹ qualities outweigh² the good qualities.

什么时候植物会被当成杂草？宾夕法尼亚州立大学的专家们给出了一个简单的答案：当其不良品质超过优良品质时。

Consider the fact that crops generally produce several hundred seeds from each plant. By comparison, each weed plant can produce tens or even hundreds of thousands of seeds. And some buried seeds can survive up to forty years -- or even longer.

考虑到每株农作物通常产生几百颗种子。而相比之下，每株杂草能产生数万甚至数十万颗种子。而且，一些被埋在地里的种子可以存活40年乃至更久。

Eradicating³ weeds means that you have to remove all the seeds and roots so the plants will not grow back. But birds or the wind can reintroduce them to the land.

要根除杂草意味着你必须除掉所有的种子和根系，这样杂草才不会再次长出来。但是，鸟类或风会将它们重新带到地里。

A more common way to deal with weeds is to control them enough so that the land can be used for planting. Experts advise using two or more control methods to deal with weeds.

对杂草更为常见的处理方式是适度控制，这样土地就能用于种植。专家们建议使用两种或两种以上的方法控制杂草。 

Chemical weed killers⁴ or natural treatments like corn gluten can suppress weed growth. Dense⁵ planting of a crop can also act as a natural control.

化学除草剂或类似玉米麸等自然手段可以抑制杂草的生长。作物密集种植也能作为一种自然控制手段。

Bill Curran is a professor of weed science at Penn State, in University Park, Pennsylvania. He says one of the most common methods for suppressing weeds is dense planting.

宾夕法尼亚州立大学大学城分校的比尔·柯伦（Bill Curran）是一位杂草学教授。他说，密植是抑制杂草最常用的方法之一。

He says a dense, competitive crop that quickly shades the soil will help suppress many weeds. The seeds need light to grow, so blocking the sun will reduce weed growth.

他说，经过密植的具有竞争力的作物会很快遮蔽土地，这将有助于抑制杂草生长。杂草生长需要阳光，所以遮蔽阳光能够减少杂草生长。

Other controls include turning over the soil, pulling the weeds or covering them with mulch made of shredded⁶ wood, garden waste or other material.

其他手段还包括翻土，拔除杂草或用地膜覆盖它们。地膜一般由木屑、花园废弃物或其他材料制成。

But even mulch has its limits. Natural resource specialists point out that weeds can be transported in mulch. This is also true of soil, grain, hay and animals.

但是，地膜也有其局限性。自然资源专家指出，杂草可以在地膜里传播，还可以通过土壤，谷物，干草和动物传播。

Yet animals like sheep or goats eat weeds, so they can provide a biological control. Insects and other organisms can also act as biological controls.

然而，像绵羊或山羊之类的动物吃杂草，因此它们可以起到生物控制作用。昆虫和其他生物也可以起到生物控制作用。

Preventing the spread of weeds is an important part of weed management. Farm vehicles should be kept out of areas with weeds. If that is not possible, then clean off the equipment and your shoes when leaving.

控制杂草传播是杂草管理中的一个重要环节。农用机械应该远离杂草，如果无法做到，在离开杂草区域时清理干净农用机械和你的鞋子。

Some people burn weeds or bury them deeply or make them into mulch.

有些人会将杂草烧掉或深埋，或将它们变为地膜。

Professor Curran says another way to make use of weeds is to compost them. Heat is produced in the process of making organically rich compost to improve soil. The heat will kill many, though not all, weed seeds. The same is true for seeds that pass through animals that graze on weeds.

柯伦教授说，另一种方式是将杂草制成堆肥。制造有机堆肥的过程会产生热量，这些热量会杀死绝大部分杂草种子。将杂草喂食动物通过动物消化的结果也是如此。

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. Tell us about your own fight against weeds. Share your stories at www.voanews.cn. I'm Jim Tedder⁷.

1 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

2 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

3 eradicating   

摧毁，完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
• We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。

4 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

5 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

6 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网