4.6 Article

Impact of Herbicide Treatments on the Construction Materials in the Roman Wall of Lugo, Spain (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Journal

APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
Volume 11, Issue 11, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/app11115276

Keywords

built cultural heritage; cityscape; granite; laboratory and field analysis; maintenance plan; mortar; Parietaria judaica; schist; urban area; weed control

Funding

  1. Evaluacion de diferentes metodos de control de las malas hierbas de la muralla de Lugo. Xunta de Galicia. Conselleria de Cultura, Comunicacion Social e Turismo. 1998 and 1999
  2. Seguimiento de los tratamientos de control de la flora vascular en la muralla romana de Lugo. Restauraciones y Construcciones Luis J. Sanchez SA. 2015-2017
  3. Realizar el seguimiento del segundo tratamiento fitosanitario 2017 y realizar un ensayo de herbicidas naturales en las paredes da muralla. Restauraciones y Construcciones Luis J. Sanchez SA. 2017-2018
  4. Realizar el seguimiento de la limpieza manual de las paredes de la muralla romana de Lugo en el verano-otono de 2019 y la aplicacion en las paredes de la muralla romana de Lugo de herbicidas naturales potenciales para controlar la germinacion de Parietaria
  5. Xunta de Galicia [ED431C 2018/32]

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A series of studies over the past 20 years investigated the potential alterations caused by herbicide treatments on the construction materials of the Roman wall of Lugo, a UNESCO World Heritage site in NW Spain. Results showed that glyphosate and physical treatments triggered changes in clay minerals in the schists, while oxyfluorfen herbicide led to an increase in chloride, nitrate, and sulfate contents of granite. The most recent study revealed a perceptible increase in lightness and a reduction in the yellow component after the application of Thymus zygis Loefl. ex L. essential oil to granite.
Combined laboratory and field research examining the possible alterations caused by herbicide treatments applied to the construction materials (schist and some granite, bound with mortar) in the Roman wall of Lugo (NW Spain), declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2000, was performed in three separate studies in the past 20 years. In the summers of 1998 and 1999, the herbicides glyphosate, sulphosate and glufosinate-ammonium, as well as physical treatments (infrared and burning) were separately applied to different areas of the wall. In the spring of 2016, the oxyfluorfen herbicide Goal Supreme(R) was applied to test areas. In the winter of 2018, three essential oils, Origanum vulgare L., Thymus zygis Loefl. ex L., and Thymus vulgaris L., were each applied to test areas. Mineralogical modifications in the materials (determined by X-ray diffraction analysis), as well as visible physical changes, such as colour changes, and the appearance of saline residues were evaluated after the treatments. In the 1998/9 trial, glyphosate and both physical treatments triggered changes in the vermiculite clay minerals in the schists, and the physical treatments also caused changes in the kaolinite. None of the treatments caused highly perceptible colour changes. The oxyfluorfen herbicide did not cause any mineralogical alterations in the construction materials, but it did generate an increase in chloride, nitrate and sulphate contents of the granite and a slight darkening of this material. In the most recent study, the only deleterious effect observed was a perceptible increase in lightness and reduction in the yellow component after the application of Thymus zygis Loefl. ex L. essential oil to granite.

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