scholarly journals European Perspectives on the Adoption of Nonchemical Weed Management in Reduced-Tillage Systems for Arable Crops

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Melander ◽  
Nicolas Munier-Jolain ◽  
Raphaël Charles ◽  
Judith Wirth ◽  
Jürgen Schwarz ◽  
...  

Noninversion tillage with tine- or disc-based cultivations prior to crop establishment is the most common way of reducing tillage for arable cropping systems with small grain cereals, oilseed rape, and maize in Europe. However, new regulations on pesticide use might hinder further expansion of reduced-tillage systems. European agriculture is asked to become less dependent on pesticides and promote crop protection programs based on integrated pest management (IPM) principles. Conventional noninversion tillage systems rely entirely on the availability of glyphosate products, and herbicide consumption is mostly higher compared to plow-based cropping systems. Annual grass weeds and catchweed bedstraw often constitute the principal weed problems in noninversion tillage systems, and crop rotations concurrently have very high proportions of winter cereals. There is a need to redesign cropping systems to allow for more diversification of the crop rotations to combat these weed problems with less herbicide input. Cover crops, stubble management strategies, and tactics that strengthen crop growth relative to weed growth are also seen as important components in future IPM systems, but their impact in noninversion tillage systems needs validation. Direct mechanical weed control methods based on rotating weeding devices such as rotary hoes could become useful in reduced-tillage systems where more crop residues and less workable soils are more prevalent, but further development is needed for effective application. Owing to the frequent use of glyphosate in reduced-tillage systems, perennial weeds are not particularly problematic. However, results from organic cropping systems clearly reveal that desisting from glyphosate use inevitably leads to more problems with perennials, which need to be addressed in future research.

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2795-2819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sissel Hansen ◽  
Randi Berland Frøseth ◽  
Maria Stenberg ◽  
Jarosław Stalenga ◽  
Jørgen E. Olesen ◽  
...  

Abstract. The emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and leaching of nitrate (NO3) from agricultural cropping systems have considerable negative impacts on climate and the environment. Although these environmental burdens are less per unit area in organic than in non-organic production on average, they are roughly similar per unit of product. If organic farming is to maintain its goal of being environmentally friendly, these loadings must be addressed. We discuss the impact of possible drivers of N2O emissions and NO3 leaching within organic arable farming practice under European climatic conditions, and potential strategies to reduce these. Organic arable crop rotations are generally diverse with the frequent use of legumes, intercropping and organic fertilisers. The soil organic matter content and the share of active organic matter, soil structure, microbial and faunal activity are higher in such diverse rotations, and the yields are lower, than in non-organic arable cropping systems based on less diverse systems and inorganic fertilisers. Soil mineral nitrogen (SMN), N2O emissions and NO3 leaching are low under growing crops, but there is the potential for SMN accumulation and losses after crop termination, harvest or senescence. The risk of high N2O fluxes increases when large amounts of herbage or organic fertilisers with readily available nitrogen (N) and degradable carbon are incorporated into the soil or left on the surface. Freezing/thawing, drying/rewetting, compacted and/or wet soil and mechanical mixing of crop residues into the soil further enhance the risk of high N2O fluxes. N derived from soil organic matter (background emissions) does, however, seem to be the most important driver for N2O emission from organic arable crop rotations, and the correlation between yearly total N-input and N2O emissions is weak. Incorporation of N-rich plant residues or mechanical weeding followed by bare fallow conditions increases the risk of NO3 leaching. In contrast, strategic use of deep-rooted crops with long growing seasons or effective cover crops in the rotation reduces NO3 leaching risk. Enhanced recycling of herbage from green manures, crop residues and cover crops through biogas or composting may increase N efficiency and reduce N2O emissions and NO3 leaching. Mixtures of legumes (e.g. clover or vetch) and non-legumes (e.g. grasses or Brassica species) are as efficient cover crops for reducing NO3 leaching as monocultures of non-legume species. Continued regular use of cover crops has the potential to reduce NO3 leaching and enhance soil organic matter but may enhance N2O emissions. There is a need to optimise the use of crops and cover crops to enhance the synchrony of mineralisation with crop N uptake to enhance crop productivity, and this will concurrently reduce the long-term risks of NO3 leaching and N2O emissions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Maxwel C. Oliveira ◽  
Anelise Lencina ◽  
André R. Ulguim ◽  
Rodrigo Werle

Abstract A stakeholder survey was conducted from April through June of 2018 to understand stakeholders’ perceptions and challenges about cropping systems and weed management in Brazil. The dominant crops managed by survey respondents were soybean (73%) and corn (66%). Approximately 75% of survey respondents have grown or managed annual cropping systems with two to three crops per year cultivated in succession. Eighteen percent of respondents manage only irrigated cropping systems, and over 60% of respondents adopt no-till as a standard practice. According to respondents, the top five troublesome weed species in Brazilian cropping systems are horseweed (asthmaweed, Canadian horseweed, and tall fleabane), sourgrass, morningglory, goosegrass, and dayflower (Asiatic dayflower and Benghal dayflower). Among the nine species documented to have evolved resistance to glyphosate in Brazil, horseweed and sourgrass were reported as the most concerning weeds. Other than glyphosate, 31% and 78% of respondents, respectively, manage weeds resistant to acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitors and/or acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors. Besides herbicides, 45% of respondents use mechanical, and 75% use cultural (e.g., no-till, crop rotation/succession) weed control strategies. Sixty-one percent of survey respondents adopt cover crops to some extent to suppress weeds and improve soil chemical and physical properties. Nearly 60% of survey respondents intend to adopt the crops that are resistant to dicamba or 2,4-D when available. Results may help practitioners, academics, industry, and policy makers to better understand the bad and the good of current cropping systems and weed management practices adopted in Brazil, and to adjust research, education, technologies priorities, and needs moving forward.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1276
Author(s):  
Vaida Steponavičienė ◽  
Aušra Marcinkevičienė ◽  
Lina Marija Butkevičienė ◽  
Lina Skinulienė ◽  
Vaclovas Bogužas

The composition of weed communities in agricultural crops is dependent on soil properties and the applied agronomic practices. The current study determined the effect of different tillage systems and crop residue on the soil weed community composition. The research programme encompassed 2013–2015 in a long-term field experiment located in the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. The soil type in the experimental field was qualified as Endocalcaric Stagnosol (Aric, Drainic, Ruptic, Amphisiltic). Weeds were categorised into communities according to soil pH, nitrogen and moisture indicators. The results of investigations were grouped using cluster analysis. Agricultural crops were dominated by different weed species depending on the soil pH and moisture. Weed species were relatively more frequent indicating nitrogen-rich and very nitrogen-rich soils. In the reduced tillage and no-tillage systems, an increase in the abundance of weed species indicating moderate acidity and low acidity, moderately wet and wet, nitrogen-rich and very nitrogen-rich soils was observed. The application of plant residues decreased the weed species abundance. In the reduced tillage and no-tillage systems, the quantitative distribution of weed was often uneven. By evaluating the association of weed communities with groups of different tillage systems with or without plant residues, their control can be optimised.


Author(s):  
Robert P. Larkin

Crop rotations and the inclusion of cover crops and green manures are primary tools in the sustainable management of soil-borne diseases in crop production systems. Crop rotations can reduce soil-borne disease through three general mechanisms: (1) serving as a break in the host-pathogen cycle; (2) by altering the soil physical, chemical, or biological characteristics to stimulate microbial activity and diversity; or (3) directly inhibiting pathogens through the release of suppressive or toxic compounds or the enhancement of specific antagonists. Brassicas, sudangrass, and related plant types are disease-suppressive crops well-known for their biofumigation potential but also have other effects on soil microbiology that are important in disease suppression. The efficacy of rotations for reducing soil-borne diseases is dependent on several factors, including crop type, rotation length, rotation sequence, and use of the crop (as full-season rotation, cover crop, or green manure). Years of field research with Brassica and non-Brassica rotation crops in potato cropping systems in Maine have documented the efficacy of Brassica green manures for the reduction of multiple soil-borne diseases. However, they have also indicated that these crops can provide disease control even when not incorporated as green manures and that other non-biofumigant crops (such as barley, ryegrass, and buckwheat) can also be effective in disease suppression. In general, all crops provided better disease control when used as green manure vs. as a cover crop, but the addition of a cover crop can improve control provided by most rotation crops. In long-term cropping system trials, rotations incorporating multiple soil health management practices, such as longer rotations, disease-suppressive rotation crops, cover crops, and green manures, and/or organic amendments have resulted in greater yield and microbial activity and fewer disease problems than standard rotations. These results indicate that improved cropping systems may enhance productivity, sustainability, and economic viability.


Weed Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas E. Korres ◽  
Jason K. Norsworthy ◽  
Andy Mauromoustakos

AbstractInformation about weed biology and weed population dynamics is critical for the development of efficient weed management programs. A field experiment was conducted in Fayetteville, AR, during 2014 and 2015 to examine the effects of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeriS. Watson) establishment time in relation to soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] emergence and the effects ofA. palmeridistance from the soybean row on the weed’s height, biomass, seed production, and flowering time and on soybean yield. The establishment time factor, in weeks after crop emergence (WAE), was composed of six treatment levels (0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 WAE), whereas the distance from the crop consisted of three treatment levels (0, 24, and 48 cm). Differences inA. palmeribiomass and seed production averaged across distance from the crop were found at 0 and 1 WAE in both years. Establishment time had a significant effect onA. palmeriseed production through greater biomass production and height increases at earlier dates.Amaranthus palmerithat was established with the crop (0 WAE) overtopped soybean at about 7 and 10 WAE in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Distance from the crop affectedA. palmeriheight, biomass, and seed production. The greater the distance from the crop, the higherA. palmeriheight, biomass, and seed production at 0 and 1 WAE compared with other dates (i.e., 2, 4, 6, and 8 WAE).Amaranthus palmeriestablishment time had a significant impact on soybean yield, but distance from the crop did not. The earlierA. palmeriinterfered with soybean (0 and 1 WAE), the greater the crop yield reduction; after that period no significant yield reductions were recorded compared with the rest of the weed establishment times. Knowledge ofA. palmeriresponse, especially at early stages of its life cycle, is important for designing efficient weed management strategies and cropping systems that can enhance crop competitiveness. Control ofA. palmeriwithin the first week after crop emergence or reduced distance between crop and weed are important factors for an effective implementation of weed management measures againstA. palmeriand reduced soybean yield losses due to weed interference.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husrev Mennan ◽  
Khawar Jabran ◽  
Bernard H. Zandstra ◽  
Firat Pala

Vegetables are a substantial part of our lives and possess great commercial and nutritional value. Weeds not only decrease vegetable yield but also reduce their quality. Non-chemical weed control is important both for the organic production of vegetables and achieving ecologically sustainable weed management. Estimates have shown that the yield of vegetables may be decreased by 45%–95% in the case of weed–vegetable competition. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is desired for several reasons. For example, there are greater chances of contamination of vegetables by herbicide residue compared to cereals or pulse crops. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is also needed due to environmental pollution, the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds and a strong desire for organic vegetable cultivation. Although there are several ways to control weeds without the use of herbicides, cover crops are an attractive choice because these have a number of additional benefits (such as soil and water conservation) along with the provision of satisfactory and sustainable weed control. Several cover crops are available that may provide excellent weed control in vegetable production systems. Cover crops such as rye, vetch, or Brassicaceae plants can suppress weeds in rotations, including vegetables crops such as tomato, cabbage, or pumpkin. Growers should also consider the negative effects of using cover crops for weed control, such as the negative allelopathic effects of some cover crop residues on the main vegetable crop.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Vincent-Caboud ◽  
Léa Vereecke ◽  
Erin Silva ◽  
Joséphine Peigné

Organic farming relies heavily on tillage for weed management, however, intensive soil disturbance can have detrimental impacts on soil quality. Cover crop-based rotational tillage (CCBRT), a practice that reduces the need for tillage and cultivation through the creation of cover crop mulches, has emerged as an alternative weed management practice in organic cropping systems. In this study, CCBRT systems using cereal rye and triticale grain species are evaluated with organic soybean directly seeded into a rolled cover crop. Cover crop biomass, weed biomass, and soybean yields were evaluated to assess the effects of cereal rye and winter triticale cover crops on weed suppression and yields. From 2016 to 2018, trials were conducted at six locations in Wisconsin, USA, and Southern France. While cover crop biomass did not differ among the cereal grain species tested, the use of cereal rye as the cover crop resulted in higher soybean yields (2.7 t ha−1 vs. 2.2 t ha−1) and greater weed suppression, both at soybean emergence (231 vs. 577 kg ha−1 of weed biomass) and just prior to soybean harvest (1178 vs. 1545 kg ha−1). On four out of six sites, cover crop biomass was lower than the reported optimal (<8000 kg ha−1) needed to suppress weeds throughout soybean season. Environmental conditions, in tandem with agronomic decisions (e.g., seeding dates, cultivar, planters, etc.), influenced the ability of the cover crop to suppress weeds regardless of the species used. In a changing climate, future research should focus on establishing flexible decision support tools based on multi-tactic cover crop management to ensure more consistent results with respect to cover crop growth, weed suppression, and crop yields.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Sønderskov ◽  
Gayle J. Somerville ◽  
Myrtille Lacoste ◽  
Jens Erik Jensen ◽  
Niels Holst

Lolium multiflorum (annual Italian ryegrass) and other grass weeds are an increasing problem in cereal cropping systems in Denmark. Grass weeds are highly competitive and an increasing number of species develop resistance against the most commonly used herbicide modes of action. A diverse management strategy provides a better overall control of grass weeds and decreases the reliance on herbicides. The bio-economic decision support system, DK-RIM (Denmark-Ryegrass Integrated Management), was developed to assist integrated management of L. multiflorum in Danish cropping systems, based on the Australian RIM model. DK-RIM provides long-term estimations (10-year period) and visual outputs of L. multiflorum population development, depending on management strategies. The dynamics of L. multiflorum plants within the season and of the soil seed bank across seasons are simulated. The user can combine cultural weed control practices with chemical control options. Cultural practices include crop rotation changes, seeding density, sowing time, soil tillage system, and cover crops. Scenarios with increasing crop rotation diversity or different tillage strategies were evaluated. DK-RIM aims at being an actual support system, aiding the farmer’s decisions and encouraging discussions among stakeholders on alternative management strategies.


Weed Science ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 563-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizabeth A. B. Stahl ◽  
Gregg A. Johnson ◽  
Ronald L. Wyse ◽  
Douglas D. Buhler ◽  
Jeffrey L. Gunsolus

Weed management can be a significant challenge in cropping systems, partly because the effects of tillage systems on weed seedbank and seedling population dynamics are not well understood. Field research was conducted from 1994 to 1996 in established tillage plots consisting of moldboard plow (MP), chisel plow (CP), and no-tillage (NT). The objectives were to determine the effects of long-term tillage systems on the timing and duration ofSetariaspp. emergence and percentage cumulative emergence from the soil seedbank and to investigate the effect of tillage onSetariaspp. density and seed production following glyphosate application atSetariaspp. heights of 5, 10, and 15 cm. NT contained a greater number ofSetariaspp. seed in the 0- to 1-, 1- to 3-, and 3- to 6-cm depths than MP or CP systems. There was little difference between the three tillage systems at depths greater than 6 cm.Setariaspp. emergence was greater in NT than in MP or CP in 1994 and 1996 and greater than in MP in 1995. There was a substantial increase inSetariaspp. emergence in NT between 3 and 4 weeks after planting (WAP) in 1994 and between 5 and 6 WAP in 1995 and 1996. Significant emergence did not occur past 5 to 6 WAP in 1994 and 1995 but continued over a longer period of time in 1996.Setariaspp. plants consistently reached targeted herbicide application heights 4 to 9 d earlier in NT than in CP and MP. In 1994, finalSetariaspp. density was greater in NT compared to CP and MP at the 5- and 10-cm herbicide application timings. When glyphosate was applied to 15-cm-tallSetaria, very few weeds were present following application across all tillage systems. In 1995, NT resulted in greaterSetariaspp. density than MP or CP across all application timings. There was no difference in finalSetariaspp. density between MP and CP across all glyphosate timings in 1994 and 1995. Seed production was negligible in MP and CP, regardless of glyphosate timing. In NT, however, significant seed production occurred, especially with early application. Results indicate that the effectiveness of nonresidual herbicides forSetaria faberiHerrm. control is influenced by tillage system and the timing of application.


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