Mechanized and manual systems of herbicide application in railway present either advantages or disadvantages. The main advantage of mechanized application is related to its wide operational capacity which covers large distances in short time. However, in function of the equipment characteristics, an excessive waste of herbicide usually occurs. The main advantage of manual application is the direct spraying in the infested area, decreasing the quantity of herbicide applied. On the other hand, its reduced operational capacity delays the application of the large areas, becoming the operation dependent on climatic and operational problems of the railways. The aim of this work was to perform a comparative analysis of operational and economical characteristics of the systems, pointing out the most important factor to be evaluated for its implantation. Therefore, simulations were performed by computer, considering several mathematical equations and data obtained in field. The results showed that manual application was more economical only for areas with low infestations. Concerning costs, the expenses with herbicides corresponded to approximately 80% of the total for mechanized application, and 8% for manual application. By considering operational and labor factor, in only one of the areas evaluated, economical advantage in the usage of manual application was presented.
Application methods; costs; non-crop