Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a perennial grass that stands out for its robustness and rapid spread via rhizomes and seeds. It can reach heights of up to 150 cm, with narrow, linear leaves featuring pointed tips forming a dense cover that hampers soil processing.
Morphological characteristics include an upright stem ranging from 40 to 120 cm in height, smooth and cylindrical, along with a deep root system featuring long creeping rhizomes up to 1.5 meters. These rhizomes can regenerate over 50 new shoots from a single meter, making horsetail one of the most aggressive weeds in agriculture.
Horsetail significantly negatively impacts crop yield: it competes for water, nitrogen, and light, reducing productivity by up to 40%. Control methods include mechanical removal of rhizomes, mulching, black fallow, and chemical herbicides. Effective prevention involves adhering to crop rotation, deep plowing before winter, and cultivation during the active growth period of horsetail.
