scholarly journals Summer Squash Planting Systems Following a Rye Cover Crop

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 998D-999
Author(s):  
James W. Shrefler ◽  
Warren Roberts ◽  
Charles Webber ◽  
Jonathan Edelson ◽  
Merritt Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Improvement ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Organic Vegetable Production ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Commercial organic vegetable production requires using soil improvement practices and effective weed control measures. Rye (Secale cereale) cover crops are known to suppress annual weeds. Research was begun in 2004 to measure crop yield, annual weed infestation, and weed control requirements for vegetable planting systems that begin with a rye cover crop. Poultry litter was used to supply nutrients and was applied based on a soil test and commercial vegetable recommendations. Rye `Elbon' was seeded 21 Oct. 2004 on beds with 1.8-m centers. Zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo) `Revenue' was planted the following year using three crop establishment dates, such that transplanting occurred on 6 May, 3 June, and 29 June. Planting system treatments included: conventional tillage (CT), CT and plastic mulch (P), CT with stale seedbed, mow, mow and burn-down, mow and shallow till (ST), ST and burn-down. Following field preparation, squash was transplanted in a single row at the bed center with 0.77-m plant spacing. Drip irrigation was used in all plantings. Emerging weeds were removed by hoeing. Squash was harvested from each planting over approximately 3 weeks and total marketable fruit counts were determined. Marketable yields with P were approximately double those of the CT and ST treatments in the 6 May transplanting. Yields were comparable for CT and ST in the 3 June transplanting, but were significantly lower for the P treatment. There were no significant differences among the treatments that received tillage in the 29 June planting. However, the non-tilled treatments had significantly lower yields compared to tilled treatments.

scholarly journals 004 WINTER COVER CROPS FOR WEED CONTROL IN SUSTAINABLE VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 428a-428
Author(s):  
Vasey N. Mwaja ◽  
John B. Masiunas
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Winter Cover Crops

A three-year study determined the effect of winter cover crops on weeds and vegetable crops in a vegetable production system. Winter rye and hairy vetch were interseeded in the fall of 1990, 1991 and 1992 at 112 and 34-kg ha-1, respectively. The cover crops were killed by ether applying glyphosate at 1.1 kg a.i ha-1 [reduced tillage(RT)] or mowing and disking the cover crop (Disked). The conventional tillage (CT) was bare ground with a preplant incorporated application of 0.84 kg a.i ha-1 of trifluralin. During the three years, the greatest snap bean yields were in the CT; total yields of cabbage and tomato varied between the years; and were not affected by management systems. Weed control was similar in the RT and CT treatments during the three years. Disked cover crop treatments tended to have greater weed numbers than either RT or CT treatments.

Influence of a Cereal Rye Cover Crop and Conservation Tillage on the Critical Period for Weed Control in Cotton

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 683-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Price ◽  
Nicholas E. Korres ◽  
Jason K. Norsworthy ◽  
Steve Li
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Relative Yield ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Cereal Rye ◽  
Winter Fallow

AbstractCover crops are being increasingly recommended as an integrated approach to controlling glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth and other troublesome weeds. Thus, a field experiment was conducted in 2010 through 2012 to evaluate the critical period for weed control (CPWC) in cotton as affected by a cereal rye cover crop and tillage. The management systems evaluated included conventional tillage following winter fallow, conservation tillage (CT) following winter fallow, and CT following a cereal rye cover crop managed for maximum biomass. Throughout most of the growing season, weed biomass in cereal rye cover crop plots was less than the CT winter-fallow system in both years and less than both CT winter fallow and conventional tillage in 2012. The CPWC was shortest in 2010 following conventional tillage; however, in 2012, production system influences on CPWC were less. The presence of the rye cover crop delayed the critical timing for weed removal (CTWR) approximately 8 d compared with fallow treatment both years, while conventional tillage delayed CTWR about 2 wk compared with winter fallow. Relative yield losses in both years did not reach the 5% threshold limit until about 2 wk after planting (WAP) for CT following winter fallow, 3 WAP for CT following a cover crop, and 3.5 WAP following conventional tillage. Thus, CT following winter fallow should be avoided to minimize cotton yield loss.

Fall-sown cover crops as mulches for weed suppression in organic small-scale diversified vegetable production

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-357
Author(s):  
Eric Bietila ◽  
Erin M. Silva ◽  
Anne C. Pfeiffer ◽  
Jed B. Colquhoun
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Cereal Rye ◽  
Organic Vegetable Production ◽  
Manual Weeding

AbstractCover crop-based reduced tillage (CCBRT) has achieved positive impacts in organic row crop systems, contributing to the conservation of soil resources and the facilitation of weed management. This technique, which uses cover crop residues as mulches to suppress weeds, has shown more variable success in organic vegetable production systems. This experiment examined CCBRT for small-scale organic vegetable production in the upper Midwestern USA, specifically evaluating weed suppression, labor inputs and crop yields. Cereal rye (Secale cerealeL.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) were fall-sown in 2012 and 2013 in a strip-plot design, including control treatments with no cover crop and spring-applied oat straw mulch. Cover crop plots were strip-tilled in mid-April to establish a planting zone, with cover crops terminated in late May at anthesis with a hand-tractor mounted sickle-bar mower. Bell peppers (Capsicum annuumL. var. ‘Revolution’), snap beans (Phaseolus vulgarisL. var. ‘Tavera’), and potatoes (Solanum tuberosumL. var. ‘Red La Soda’) were hand-planted either as transplants or seed in each treatment immediately following cover crop termination. During each summer growing season, weeds were completely eliminated from each plot by hand approximately every 10–14 days, with time for manual weeding recorded for each treatment. Vegetable crop yields and quality were measured at harvest during 2013 and 2014. Cereal rye and winter wheat produced similar biomass at the time of termination. Greater weed biomass was collected in the wheat treatment as compared with the cereal rye, increasing the in-season labor required for manual weeding. Bean yields were decreased in the all CCBRT treatments compared with control treatments in both years of the study. Pepper yields did not differ in CCBRT treatments as compared with the control in both 2012 and 2013, although the CCBRT treatments did yield lower marketable peppers compared with the straw mulch plots. Potato tuber yields were not different in the CCBRT treatments as compared with the control in 2012, but were lower in 2013. These data indicate that, if CCBRT is to be more widely adopted in small-scale vegetable production, further optimization of the system must be achieved to ensure consistent and adequate weed suppression while maintaining crop yield and quality.

scholarly journals Profitability of Organic Vegetable Production via Sod Based Rotation and Conventional Versus Strip Tillage in the Southern Coastal Plain

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Ahmadiani ◽  
Chun Li ◽  
Yaqin Liu ◽  
Esendugue Greg Fonsah ◽  
Christine Bliss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
The North ◽  
Organic Vegetable Production ◽  
Strip Tillage ◽  
Rotation Sequence

<p class="sar-body"><span lang="EN-US">There are little economic data concerning the profitability of organic vegetable crops in the Southern Coastal Plain, especially in reference to sod-based rotation and tillage alternatives.  A three-year experiment was conducted at the North Florida Research and Education Center-Quincy involving a crop rotation sequence of oats and rye (winter), bush beans (spring), soybean (summer) and broccoli (fall). Bush beans and broccoli were the cash crops. This paper presents analyses of the riskiness of organic production utilizing years in bahiagrass prior to initiating the crop rotation sequence and conventional tillage (CT) versus strip tillage (ST). Methods of “Risk-rated enterprise budget” and “Analyses of Variance-Covariance Matrix (ANOVA)” were utilized for determining relative profitability, and coefficient of variation was applied for measuring riskiness of each treatment. Three years of bahiagrass prior to initiating the crop rotation sequence, in combination with conventional tillage, had the highest profitability and ranked as the least risky scenario.  The second most profitable treatment was conventional tillage with four years of bahiagrass. Focusing on strip tillage, four years of bahiagrass with strip-tillage ranked third in term of profitability.</span></p>

Influence of a Rye Cover Crop on the Critical Period for Weed Control in Cotton

Weed Science ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 346-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas E. Korres ◽  
Jason K. Norsworthy
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Weed Biomass ◽  
Weed Density ◽  
Presence And Absence ◽  
Weed Removal

Cover crops are becoming increasingly common in cotton as a result of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth; hence, a field experiment was conducted in 2009 and 2010 in Marianna, AR, with a rye cover crop used to determine its effects on the critical period for weed control in cotton. Throughout most of the growing season, weed biomass in the presence of a rye cover crop was lesser than that in the absence of a rye cover crop. In 2009, in weeks 2 through 7 after planting, weed biomass was reduced at least twofold in the presence of a rye cover compared with the absence of rye. In 2009, in both presence and absence of a rye cover crop, weed removal needed to begin before weed biomass was 150 g m−2, or approximately 4 wk after planting, to prevent yield loss > 5%. Weed density was less in 2010 than in 2009, so weed removal was not required until 7 wk after planting, at which point weed biomass values were 175 and 385 g m−2in the presence and absence of a cover crop, respectively.

scholarly journals Mustard Cover Crop Growth and Weed Suppression in Organic, Strawberry Furrows in California

HortScience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric B. Brennan ◽  
Richard F. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Sinapis Alba ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Shoot Biomass ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Seeding Rate ◽  
Crop Cover ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Growing Seasons

Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) production in California uses plastic mulch–covered beds that provide many benefits such as moisture conservation and weed control. Unfortunately, the mulch can also cause environmental problems by increasing runoff and soil erosion and reducing groundwater recharge. Planting cover crops in bare furrows between the plastic cover beds can help minimize these problems. Furrow cover cropping was evaluated during two growing seasons in organic strawberries in Salinas, CA, using a mustard (Sinapis alba L.) cover crop planted at two seeding rates (1× and 3×). Mustard was planted in November or December after strawberry transplanting and it resulted in average densities per meter of furrow of 54 and 162 mustard plants for the 1× and 3× rates, respectively. The mustard was mowed in February before it shaded the strawberry plants. Increasing the seeding rate increased mustard shoot biomass and height, and reduced the concentration of P in the mustard shoots. Compared with furrows with no cover crop, cover-cropped furrows reduced weed biomass by 29% and 40% in the 1× and 3× seeding rates, respectively, although weeds still accounted for at least 28% of the furrow biomass in the cover-cropped furrows. These results show that growing mustard cover crops in furrows without irrigating the furrows worked well even during years with relatively minimal precipitation. We conclude that 1) mustard densities of ≈150 plants/m furrow will likely provide the most benefits due to greater biomass production, N scavenging, and weed suppression; 2) mowing was an effective way to kill the mustard; and 3) high seeding rates of mustard alone are insufficient to provide adequate weed suppression in strawberry furrows.

Integration of residual herbicides with cover crop termination in soybean

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek M. Whalen ◽  
Lovreet S. Shergill ◽  
Lyle P. Kinne ◽  
Mandy D. Bish ◽  
Kevin W. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Italian Ryegrass ◽  
Cereal Rye ◽  
Herbicide Treatments ◽  
Residual Herbicide ◽  
Herbicide Programs

AbstractCover crops have increased in popularity in midwestern U.S. corn and soybean systems in recent years. However, little research has been conducted to evaluate how cover crops and residual herbicides are effectively integrated together for weed control in a soybean production system. Field studies were conducted in 2016 and 2017 to evaluate summer annual weed control and to determine the effect of cover crop biomass on residual herbicide reaching the soil. The herbicide treatments consisted of preplant (PP) applications of glyphosate plus 2,4-D with or without sulfentrazone plus chlorimuron at two different timings, 21 and 7 d prior to soybean planting (DPP). Cover crops evaluated included winter vetch, cereal rye, Italian ryegrass, oat, Austrian winter pea, winter wheat, and a winter vetch plus cereal rye mixture. Herbicide treatments were applied to tilled and nontilled soil without cover crop for comparison. The tillage treatment resulted in low weed biomass at all collection intervals after both application timings, which corresponded to tilled soil having the highest sulfentrazone concentration (171 ng g−1) compared with all cover crop treatments. When applied PP, herbicide treatments applied 21 DPP with sulfentrazone had greater weed (93%) and waterhemp (89%) control than when applied 7 DPP (60% and 69%, respectively). When applied POST, herbicide treatments with a residual herbicide resulted in greater weed and waterhemp control at 7 DPP (83% and 77%, respectively) than at 21 DPP (74% and 61%, respectively). Herbicide programs that included a residual herbicide had the highest soybean yields (≥3,403 kg ha−1). Results from this study indicate that residual herbicides can be effectively integrated either PP or POST in conjunction with cover crop termination applications, but termination timing and biomass accumulation will affect the amount of sulfentrazone reaching the soil.

scholarly journals Temporal Change of Soil Carbon on a Long-Term Experimental Site with Variable Crop Rotations and Tillage Systems

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Laamrani ◽  
Paul R. Voroney ◽  
Aaron A. Berg ◽  
Adam W. Gillespie ◽  
Michael March ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Crop Rotations ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
No Till

The impacts of tillage practices and crop rotations are fundamental factors influencing changes in the soil carbon, and thus the sustainability of agricultural systems. The objective of this study was to compare soil carbon status and temporal changes in topsoil from different 4 year rotations and tillage treatments (i.e., no-till and conventional tillage). Rotation systems were primarily corn and soy-based and included cereal and alfalfa phases along with red clover cover crops. In 2018, soil samples were collected from a silty-loam topsoil (0–15 cm) from the 36 year long-term experiment site in southern Ontario, Canada. Total carbon (TC) contents of each sample were determined in the laboratory using combustion methods and comparisons were made between treatments using current and archived samples (i.e., 20 year and 9 year change, respectively) for selected crop rotations. Overall, TC concentrations were significantly higher for no-till compared with conventional tillage practices, regardless of the crop rotations employed. With regard to crop rotation, the highest TC concentrations were recorded in corn–corn–oats–barley (CCOB) rotations with red clover cover crop in both cereal phases. TC contents were, in descending order, found in corn–corn–alfalfa–alfalfa (CCAA), corn–corn–soybean–winter wheat (CCSW) with 1 year of seeded red clover, and corn–corn–corn–corn (CCCC). The lowest TC concentrations were observed in the corn–corn–soybean–soybean (CCSS) and corn–corn–oats–barley (CCOB) rotations without use of cover crops, and corn–corn–soybean–winter wheat (CCSW). We found that (i) crop rotation varieties that include two consecutive years of soybean had consistently lower TC concentrations compared with the remaining rotations; (ii) TC for all the investigated plots (no-till and/or tilled) increased over the 9 year and 20 year period; (iii) the no-tilled CCOB rotation with 2 years of cover crop showed the highest increase of TC content over the 20 year change period time; and (iv) interestingly, the no-till continuous corn (CCCC) rotation had higher TC than the soybean–soybean–corn–corn (SSCC) and corn–corn–soybean–winter wheat (CCSW). We concluded that conservation tillage (i.e., no-till) and incorporation of a cover crop into crop rotations had a positive effect in the accumulation of TC topsoil concentrations and could be suitable management practices to promote soil fertility and sustainability in our agricultural soils.

scholarly journals Non-Chemical Weed Management in Vegetables by Using Cover Crops: A Review

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husrev Mennan ◽  
Khawar Jabran ◽  
Bernard H. Zandstra ◽  
Firat Pala
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Negative Effects

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.

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