Type and time of autumn tillage with and without herbicides at reduced rates in southern Sweden: 2. Weed flora and diversity

The design of integrated weed management (IWM) systems is essential in order to reduce the use of herbicides for crop production. By combining different weed management practices, herbicides may be used at lower doses than normally recommended, while still maintaining acceptable weed population levels. The purpose of this study was to develop tillage strategies, with and without herbicides at reduced rates, appropriate for different weed populations. The influences of type and time of stubble cultivation, harrowing and mouldboard ploughing on the weed flora were followed during 1988–1994 in eight long-term field trials situated in southern Sweden. Spring-sown barley (Hordeum distichon L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.) dominated the crop rotations. Herbicides were either omitted or used at ca. 50% of a full dose. The perennial species Sonchus arvensis L. was favoured by omittance of ploughing but was better controlled by late ploughing not preceded by stubble cultivation; the reduction in the latter treatment being 74%. Stubble cultivation succeeded by ploughing reduced biomass of Elymus repens (L.) Gould. by 90% compared with ploughing solely. Early ploughing reduced the biomass of the species by 50% compared with late ploughing. The species Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. was highly favoured by early ploughing followed by late autumn harrowing, the biomass of the species being six-fold higher than in other treatments. Compared with other treatments, stubble cultivation favoured four annuals but efficiently controlled three others, while omittance of ploughing favoured six annual and two perennial weed species. Late ploughing not preceded by stubble cultivation favoured four annual and one perennial species, while early ploughing was more efficient than late ploughing in controlling two of the annual species. Influences of treatments on weed species were frequently moderated by interspecific competition resulting in inconsistent response at different sites. Herbicides reduced the number of species by three, from 11 to eight species, averaged across sites and tillage systems. Influences of treatments on diversity were not consistent, since weed floras differed between sites and since some of the species responded inconsistently to tillage and herbicides. This study shows that by utilizing appropriate tillage strategies it is possible at many sites to maintain acceptable weed population levels, although herbicides are used at 50% lower doses than is normally recommended. The timing and type of tillage have to be chosen for being as efficient as possible to the most troublesome weed species at a site.