SWEET CORN YIELD AND INSECT DAMAGE AS AFFECTED BY COVER CROPS AND NITROGEN

The effects of cover crops and nitrogen on yield and insect damage of sweet corn were examined. In 1989, sweet corn was grown in bare soil plots, plots covered with rye (Secale cereale), and plots covered with hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). In 1990 a black plastic mulch treatment was substituted for the hairy vetch treatment. Each soil cover was fertilized with 45, 90, 134, or 179 kg/ha nitrogen (N) in 1989, and 34, 101, 168, 235, or 302 kg/ha N in 1990. Covers were planted in the fall, followed by sweet corn the following spring. There was no mowing or tilling of the cover crops. Corn yields were lower each year in the rye covered plots. There were more corn earworms on the rye covered plots. Corn pollination was poorer on the rye covered plots, but responded positively to increasing rates of N.

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Cover Crop Management and Weed Suppression in No-tillage Sweet Corn Production

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.39.6.1262 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 1262-1266 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Lidia M. Carrera ◽

Aref A. Abdul-Baki ◽

John R. Teasdale

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Crop Management ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Weed Suppression ◽

Corn Yield ◽

No Tillage ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Weed Biomass

Cover crops combined with conservation tillage practices can minimize chemical inputs and improve soil quality, soil water-holding capacity, weed suppression and crop yields. No-tillage production of sweet corn (Zea mays var. `Silver Queen') was studied for 2 years at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Md., to determine cover crop management practices that maximize yield and suppress weeds. Cover crop treatments were hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), rye (Secale cereale L.) and hairy vetch mixture, and bare soil (no cover crop). There were three cover crop killing methods: mowing, rolling or contact herbicide paraquat. All plots were treated with or without atrazine and metolachlor after planting. There was a 23% reduction in sweet corn plant population in the rye-hairy vetch mixture compared to bare soil. Averaged over both years, sweet corn yield in hairy vetch treatments was 43% greater than in bare soil, whereas yield in the rye-hairy vetch mixture was 30% greater than in bare soil. There were no significant main effects of kill method or significant interactions between kill method and cover crop on yield. Sweet corn yields were not different for hairy vetch or rye-hairy vetch treatments with or without atrazine and metolachlor. However, yield in bare soil without the herbicides atrazine and metolachor were reduced by 63% compared to bare soil with these herbicides. When no atrazine and metolachlor were applied, weed biomass was reduced in cover crops compared to the bare soil. Regression analysis showed greater yield loss per unit of weed biomass for bare soil than for the vetch or rye-hairy vetch mixture. This analysis suggests that cover crops increased sweet corn yield in the absence of atrazine and metolachlor not only by reducing weed biomass, but also by increasing the competitiveness of corn to weeds at any given biomass.

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007 NO-TILL CABBAGE PRODUCTION USING RYE COVER CROPS

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.29.5.428d ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 428d-428

Author(s):

Warren Roberts ◽

Bob Cartwright

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Production Systems ◽

Bare Soil ◽

The Other ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Liquid Extract ◽

No Till ◽

Conventional Production ◽

Black Plastic ◽

Fertilizer Rates

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Capitata) was grown for five years with treatments comparing no till and conventional production systems. Each year, raised beds were formed in the fall and selected plots were seeded with rye (Secale cereale). The rye was allowed to grow during the winter, and the following spring it was either mowed, killed with herbicide, or allowed to grow indefinitely. Different seeding rates of rye and different fertilizer rates were used. Some plots were mowed and the residue removed from the plots, while certain plots had no rye planted but received the rye residue that was removed from other plots. Rye was also gathered and pulverized, and the liquid extract removed from this suspension was sprayed onto plots. Cabbage was planted into each plot in the spring. The yield of cabbage grown in various rye-covered plots was compared to the yield from bare soil plots and from plots covered with black plastic mulch. In general, the plots covered with the various rye treatments had less yield than did the bare soil plots. Plots covered with black plastic mulch often had a greater yield than did the other plots.

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Sweet Corn Weed Control and Yields in Response to Sowing Date and Cropping Systems

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.49.3.289 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 289-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hamid Reza Rajablarijani ◽

Bahram Mirshekari ◽

Majid AghaAlikhani ◽

Varahram Rashidi ◽

Farhad Farahvash

Keyword(s):

Weed Control ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Sowing Date ◽

Corn Yield ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Kernel Number ◽

Sowing Dates ◽

Biodegradable Mulch ◽

Black Plastic

The high vulnerability of sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata) to weed competition and the urgent reduction of the dependence on chemical herbicides are major challenges facing the agricultural community. To investigate the effects of plastic mulches on weed control and yields in sweet corn under different sowing dates, a 2-year experiment was conducted at Varamin, Iran, in 2010 and 2011. The mulch treatments included black plastic mulch, semitransparent biodegradable mulch, an unmulched weeded control, and an unmulched unweeded control. The sowing dates were 5 June, 20 June, and 6 July. Results revealed that delayed sowing (6 July) reduced weed dry weight by 51% and 41% compared with the 5 June sowing date in 2010 and 2011, respectively, without reducing crop yield. The black plastic mulch treatment had the lowest weed biomass. The sowing date × mulch interactions on kernel number per ear, length of ear, percentage of unfilled ear tip, and yield of sweet corn were statistically significant (P < 0.01) in both years. The maximum kernel number per ear (535) and the highest fresh ear yield (24,684 kg·ha−1) in 2010 were obtained on the 6 July sowing date under biodegradable mulch. The plants sown on 6 July produced the highest fresh kernel yield with the black plastic mulch (12,893 kg·ha−1) and unmulched weeded control (11,777 kg·ha−1) in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The highest percentage of unfilled ear tips in both years was observed in the unmulched unweeded plots sown on 5 June. According to our findings, to suppress the weeds and avoid the sweet corn yield loss in such a hot summer that we had, using the black plastic mulch and delayed sowing are recommended.

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Fertilization and Colors of Plastic Mulch Affect Biomass and Essential Oil of Sweet-Scented Geranium

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2014/828259 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anderson de Carvalho Silva ◽

Arie Fitzgerald Blank ◽

Wallace Melo dos Santos ◽

Paloma Santana Prata ◽

Péricles Barreto Alves ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Oil ◽

Soil Cover ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Cattle Manure ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Pelargonium Graveolens ◽

Food Industries ◽

Black Plastic ◽

Soap Perfume

Sweet-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolensL’Hér), a plant belonging to the Geraniaceae family, has medicinal and aromatic properties and is widely used in the cosmetic, soap, perfume, aromatherapy, and food industries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of fertilization and the use of different colors of plastic mulch on sweet-scented geranium biomass and essential oil. Three colors of plastic mulch (black, white, and silver-colored) and a control without plastic mulch were assessed along with three fertilizers (20,000 L·ha−1of cattle manure; 1,000 kg·ha−1of NPK 3-12-6; and 20,000 L·ha−1of cattle manure + 1,000 kg·ha−1of NPK 3-12-6 fertilizer) and a control without fertilizer. The absence of a soil cover negatively influenced the agronomical variables, while coverage with plastic mulch was associated with increased biomass. The use of fertilizer had no effect on the evaluated agronomic variables. When cattle manure and NPK 3-12-6 were used together, combined with white or black plastic mulch, the highest yields of essential oil were obtained. For the silver-colored plastic mulch, higher amounts of essential oil (6,9-guaiadien) were obtained with mineral fertilizer.

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Agronomic performances of Pak Choi grown with different soil cover

Horticultura Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0102-053620150000200020 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 261-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Márcia M Echer ◽

Graciela M Dalastra ◽

Tiago L Hachmann ◽

Elcio S Klosowski ◽

Vandeir F Guimarães

Keyword(s):

Soil Cover ◽

Block Design ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Production Traits ◽

Pak Choi ◽

Randomized Block Design ◽

Black Plastic ◽

Growing Conditions ◽

Set Up

An important aspect in the cultivation of vegetables is the quality of the product to be marketed, free from dirt and damage and the practice of mulching could be an option, but there is scarse information. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of mulching on the production traits of three cultivars of Pak Choi. The experiment was set up during March to May 2013 using a split plot randomized block design, with four replications. Soil cover treatments (white agrotextile, black agrotextile, black plastic, silver plastic, tifton straw and bare soil) were arranged in the plots, and three cultivars of Pak Choi (Green Pak Choi, White Pak Choi and Chingensai Natsu Shomi) in subplots. Height and diameter of shoots, number of leaves, fresh weight of the head and petiole, base diameter, dry weight of stem, petiole, and leaf were evaluated thirty-five days after transplantation. The total dry weight and leaf area were measured, and then we estimated the yield. There was a significant effect of soil cover and cultivar. In general, the cover with synthetic materials showed higher values on production of Pak Choi. The cultivar White Pak Choi was better adapted to the growing conditions, with an average yield of 57.78 t/ha.

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Effect of plastic mulch and row covers on photosynthesis and yield of watermelon

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea04140 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 45 (12) ◽

pp. 1653 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

L. Ibarra-Jiménez ◽

J. Munguía-López ◽

A. J. Lozano-del Río ◽

A. Zermeño-González

Keyword(s):

Total Yield ◽

Net Photosynthesis ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Row Covers ◽

Number Of Leaves ◽

Clear Plastic ◽

Black Plastic ◽

Growing Conditions

The effect of row covers on watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) grown on plastic mulch is well documented. However, row covers have not been adequately evaluated under Mexican growing conditions. Watermelon plants were grown on plastic mulch alone or with row covers to study their effect on photosynthesis, and early and total yields. Treatments were clear plastic mulch (C); black plastic mulch (B); B plus a Vispore cover of polypropylene (BV); B plus a white cover of perforated polyethylene (BW); B plus a clear cover of perforated polyethylene (BC); B plus an Agribon cover of polypropylene (BA); and bare soil as the control. For plants grown in treatment C, B or B combined with row covers, plant dry weight and number of leaves 40 days after seeding (DAS) were higher than the control (P<0.05), except BC which was comparable to the control. Total yields of treatments C, B, BV, BW and BA differed (P<0.05) from BC and the control. Total yields increased by 46.1, 43.2, 35.7, 41.6, 13.3, 15.4 and 35.8 t/ha for the C, B, BV, BW, BC and BA treatments, respectively, over the control, which yielded 27.1 t/ha. Total yield was highest for the C and the B treatment suggesting that there was no need for additional covers. The number of leaves per plant or dry weight per plant better explains the changes in yield than net photosynthesis rate. Stomatal conductance was explained in part by changes in photosynthesis.

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Mulches for yacon cultivation

Horticultura Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0102-053620180317 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 389-394

Author(s):

Fabio Luiz Oliveira ◽

Cristiano Henrique P Venturim ◽

Diego Mathias N Silva ◽

Mateus Augusto L Quaresma ◽

Leandro P Dalvi

Keyword(s):

Block Design ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Good Alternative ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Coffee Husk ◽

Corn Husk ◽

Randomized Complete Block Design ◽

Total Productivity ◽

Black Plastic ◽

Commercial Yield

ABSTRACT In Brazil, studies on commercial exploitation of yacon are still scarce. A growing interest in this vegetable has demanded some researches on this crop cultivation management, though. Considering that yacon has a long cycle, which exposes the soil, studies on mulch management will be of great value. We used a randomized complete block design, with five replicates, under different soil mulches for yacon cultivation: two plastic film covers (black and double-sided), four mulches (corn husk, coffee husk in three levels), and the control (bare soil). Plastic mulch can be used for yacon cultivation, considering that the double sided plastic provides greater production of total roots; however, the same yield of the most valued roots was obtained using black plastic. The second highest total productivity and the highest commercial yield in the most valued root classes were obtained using 50 L m-² of coffee husk as mulch, representing a good alternative for farmers.

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The effect of plastic mulch and row covers on the growth and physiology of cucumber

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea02088 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 91 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

L. Ibarra-Jiménez ◽

M. R. Quezada-Martín ◽

M. de la Rosa-Ibarra

Keyword(s):

Block Design ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Physiological Changes ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Yield Increase ◽

Row Covers ◽

Black Plastic ◽

Whole Plants ◽

Polyethylene Mulch

To determine the effectiveness of black plastic mulch alone and in combination with row covers, on growth and physiological changes of cucumber plants, 6 treatments were established in a randomised complete block design with 4 replications: bare soil (control); black polyethylene mulch alone (B); B plus a clear cover of perforated polyethylene (BRCP); B plus a white cover of perforated polyethylene (BRWP); B plus an Agribon cover of polypropylene (BRA); and B plus a Kimberly farm row cover (BRK). For the plants grown with mulch or mulch combined with row covers, the dry weight of leaves 50 days after seeding (DAS), and the dry weight of whole plants (at 50 and 110 DAS) were significantly (P<0.05) different from the control. Early yields of treatments B, BRCP, BRWP, BRA and BRK were 2.1, 1.9, 2.6, 1.9 and 2.4 times higher than the control, which yielded 10 t/ha. Total yields were increased by 9.7, 15.4, 19.8, 14.9 and 20 t/ha, over the control which yielded 104 t/ha. Increases in plant dry weight explained the changes in yield. Stomatal conductance may explain in part, the increase in photosynthetic rate, but may not explain yield increase.

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Cover-Crop Roller–Crimper Contributes to Weed Management in No-Till Soybean

Weed Science ◽

10.1614/ws-d-09-00040.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 300-309 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

Adam S. Davis

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Weed Management ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Yield Loss ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Rate Variation ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Soybean Yield ◽

Weed Interference ◽

No Till

Termination of cover crops prior to no-till planting of soybean is typically accomplished with burndown herbicides. Recent advances in cover-crop roller–crimper design offer the possibility of reliable physical termination of cover crops without tillage. A field study within a no-till soybean production system was conducted in Urbana, IL, from 2004 through 2007 to quantify the effects of cover crop (cereal rye, hairy vetch, or bare soil control), termination method (chemical burndown or roller–crimper), and postemergence glyphosate application rate (0, 1.1, or 2.2 kg ae ha−1) on soybean yield components, weed–crop interference, and soil environmental variables. Biomass of weeds surviving management within a soybean crop following either a vetch or rye cover crop was reduced by 26 and 56%, respectively, in the rolled system compared to the burndown system. Soybean yield loss due to weed interference was unaffected by cover-crop termination method in soybean following a rye cover crop, but was higher in the rolled than burndown treatment in both hairy vetch and bare soil treatments. In soybean following a rye cover crop, regardless of termination method, yield loss to weed interference was unaffected by glyphosate rate, whereas in soybean following a vetch cover crop or bare soil, yield loss decreased with glyphosate rate. Variation in soybean yield among cover crops and cover-crop termination treatments was due largely to differences in soybean establishment, rather than differences in the soil environment. Use of a roller–crimper to terminate a cover crop preceding no-till soybean has the potential to achieve similar yields to those obtained in a chemically terminated cover crop while reducing residual weed biomass.

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WINTER-KILLED LEGUMINOUS COVER CROPS FOR SWEET CORN

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.27.11.1161f ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 27 (11) ◽

pp. 1161f-1161

Author(s):

Francis X. Mangan ◽

Stephen J. Herbert

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Field Research ◽

Corn Yield ◽

High Nitrogen ◽

Vicia Villosa ◽

Nitrogen Levels ◽

Nitrogen Treatments ◽

Legume Growth

Field research was conducted in Deerfield, Mass. to study the effects of leguminous cover crops on sweet corn yield. Oat was planted alone and in combination with four leguminous cover crops August 8, 1990. Cover crop residue was disked once and sweet corn seeded April 23, 1991. Each cover crop combination had three rates of nitrogen added in two applications. Sweet corn seeded into stands of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) yielded the highest of the cover crop combinations. All leguminous cover crop treatments yielded higher than oat alone or no cover crop when no synthetic nitrogen was added. Cover crop combinations were seeded again in the same field plots August 12, 1991. Oat biomass in November was greater where there had been leguminous cover crops or high rates of synthetic nitrogen. Legume growth was retarded in the plots that had previously received high nitrogen. It is thought that legume growth was reduced in the high nitrogen treatments due to increased oat growth and higher soil nitrogen levels which could inhibit root nodulation.

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