Effects of inter-row hoeing and fertilizer placement on weed growth and yield of winter wheat

Inter‐row hoeing is known to control tap‐rooted and erect weed species more effectively in winter wheat than weed harrowing. However, little is known about its effectiveness for use in the spring in winter wheat grown at wide row spacing (240 mm) under the influence of different placement of fertilizer. Two field experiments, one in 1999 and one in 2000, were conducted to study the influence of fertilizer placement, timing of inter‐row hoeing, and driving speed on the weeding effect on different weed species and crop growth. Placement of fertilizer below the soil surface improved crop growth and grain yield in both years compared with placement on the surface, but the more vigorous crop did not give any better suppression of the weeds surviving hoeing. Timing was not important in one experiment, whereas hoeing twice beginning in early April was more effective in the other experiment where weed growth over the winter had been vigorous. Driving speed had no influence on either the weeding effect or the yield, except for one case where increasing speed reduced the control of well‐developed weeds. Compared with unweeded reference treatments, inter‐row hoeing reduced total weed biomass by 60–70% and tap‐rooted and erect weed species in particular by 50–90%. Sowing at 240 mm row spacing yielded less than 120 mm (Danish standard), and inter‐row hoeing for winter wheat needs to be adapted to narrower row spacing to avoid such yield decreases.     

An on-farm approach to investigate the impact of diversified crop rotations on weed species richness and composition in winter wheat

Weed species diversity may benefit from organic farming due to enhanced temporal diversification of crop species in a rotation and omission of herbicide applications. However, in intensively managed conventional systems, little evidence exists as to what extent diversified crop rotations contribute to higher weed species richness. Using an on-farm approach, the effect of crop rotation (organic, conventional diverse (CD) and conventional simple (CS) crop rotations) and weed control (with vs. without) on weed species richness, cover, community composition and crop biomass, was analysed in 24 winter wheat fields. Weed species with beneficial functions for invertebrates and birds were analysed separately. Weed species richness was higher in the organic crop rotation, but did not differ between CD and CS crop rotations. Weed control treatment reduced species richness in both conventional rotations, but not in the organic one. Redundancy analyses revealed that crop rotation intensity accounted for the largest part of the explained variation in weed species composition. Results from the study indicate that the maintenance of weed species richness and conservation of species with important ecological functions requires not only temporal diversification of crop species in the rotation, but also an adjustment of weed control strategies.     

Effects of pre- and post-emergence weed harrowing on annual weeds in peas and spring cereals

To assess the effects of timing and frequency of weed harrowing on weed abundance and crop yield, different pre- and post-emergence weed harrowing sequences were applied to spring cereals and peas in field experiments performed during 2003 and 2004 in Sweden. Post-emergence harrowing was performed at crop growth stages 2–3 and 5–6 true leaves respectively. The best weed control was obtained by a combination of pre- and post-emergence harrowing, but these treatments also caused yield losses of 12–14% in spring cereals, while no yield losses were observed in peas. Pre-emergence weed harrowing treatments alone or combined with weed harrowing shortly after crop emergence proved to be most effective against the early emerging annual weed species Sinapis arvensis and Galeopsis spp. Post-emergence harrowing alone in peas had no effect on S. arvensis . The late emerging annual weed species Chenopodium album and Polygonum lapathifolium were most effectively controlled when pre-emergence weed harrowing was combined with one or two weed harrowing treatments after crop emergence.     

Fertilisation and weed control effects on yield and weeds in durum wheat grown under rain-fed conditions in a Mediterranean climate

Summary A field study was undertaken to examine the effect of fertiliser type and weed control system on grain yield, yield components and weed population in durum wheat ( Triticum turgidum. var. durum) grown in a 4-year rotation [bare fallow–barley ( Hordeum vulgare )–vetch ( Vicia sativa )–wheat]. Fertilisation treatments were: no fertilisation, organic fertilisation with 2500 kg ha⁻¹ of compost (sheep manure and cereal straw) and chemical fertilisation with 100–60–60 kg ha⁻¹ of NPK. Weed-control treatments were: no control, herbicide, harrowing with long-flex spring tines and strip sowing with inter-row hoeing. Chemical fertilisation increased grain yield with respect to the other treatments, amongst which no significant differences were noted. Weed-control systems afforded no improvement in yield compared with controls; indeed, yields obtained using inter-row hoeing were lower. The weed population consisted of a large variety of species, of which the most important were Convolvulus arvensis and Polygonum aviculare . Application of weed-control systems reduced weed density. Herbicide was the most effective, reducing weed biomass by 80%, whilst harrowing and hoeing reduced weed biomass by 40% and 52% respectively. Inter-row hoeing does not appear to be a viable alternative to herbicides, when used as the sole weed control method in a non-diverse cropping system in Mediterranean climates. The lack of response to compost suggests a need for further long-term research.     

几种除草剂对稻田杂草的防除效果

选择田草绝、精克草星、稻草隆、草克净、巧手等进行田间试验,结果表明,5种药剂均具有良好的防效和安全性。     

360g／L吡氟·氟噻·呋草酮悬浮剂对冬小麦田杂草的防除效果及对后茬作物的安全性

为明确360g／L吡氟·氟噻·呋草酮悬浮剂在小麦田的应用前景,采用田间小区试验方法,观察其对小麦田主要杂草的控制作用和对小麦及后茬作物玉米、大豆、花生的安全性。结果表明：360g／L吡氟·氟噻·呋草酮悬浮剂对小麦田主要杂草猪殃殃、蔺草、硬草、播娘蒿等一年生杂草均有好的防除效果,随用药量的增加防效逐渐提高;药后180d株防效和鲜重防效均在90％以上,优于异丙隆常规剂量处理,显著提高了小麦的产量;药后226d的土壤残留对后茬作物玉米、大豆、花生安全,对其苗期生长及产量无不良影响。     

不同耕作方式对小麦田杂草的发生及小麦产量的影响

探讨四川省小麦田免耕不覆盖稻草、免耕覆盖稻草、翻耕3种不同耕作方式下杂草发生规律以及小麦生长差异,结果表明,免耕处理可减少杂草的发生,免耕加5 000 kg/hm2稻草覆盖量可有效控制小麦田杂草的发生;免耕不覆盖稻草和翻耕处理在小麦播后2周左右杂草有1个出苗高峰,因此应在小麦播种后第2周对杂草进行化学防除.3种不同耕作方式下对小麦生长发育影响较大的杂草为禾本科杂草和繁缕;覆盖稻草可在一定程度上促进小麦出苗后的生长,产量也较未覆盖处理和翻耕处理高.     

Modelling the effect of crop and weed on herbicide efficacy in wheat

Recommended field application rates of herbicides have to give effective weed control in every situation and are, thus, often higher than that required for specific fields. An understanding of the interaction between crop:weed competition and herbicide dose may, in many cases, allow herbicide application rates to be reduced, important both environmentally and economically. We have developed a model of the interaction between crop:weed competition and herbicide dose, using an empirical model of the relationship between crop yield and weed biomass (related to weed density), and an empirical model of the relationship between weed biomass and herbicide dose. The combined model predicts crop yield, given herbicide dose and weed biomass at an interim assessment date. These crop yield loss predictions may be used to quantify the herbicide dose required to restrict yield loss to a given percentage. Parameters of the model were estimated and the model tested, using results from experiments, which used cultivated oats ( Avena sativa ) or oilseed rape ( Brassica napus ) as model weeds in a crop of winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum ).For the crop:weed:herbicide combinations investigated there was little increase in crop yield for herbicide dose rates above 20% of recommended field rates, in broad agreement with the model predictions. There may still be potential for further reduction below this level on economic grounds; the model could be used to estimate the `break-even' herbicide dose.     

The impact of cropping on weed species composition in rice after fallow across a hydrological gradient in west Africa

In a 5-year experiment, weed species composition in rice was recorded at different positions along the toposequence, from the rain-fed upland to the irrigated valley bottom. A total of 107 species was recorded, 70 of which occurred in more than 1% of the total of 465 samples. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to explore the changes in weed flora over time in the different rice-growing environments. There were substantial differences in the composition of weed flora between the differing environments and years. On the upland sites, there was a pronounced shift from perennial grasses, including Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel and Pennisetum purpureum Schum., to annual grass weeds, such as Digitaria horizontalis Willd., Chloris pilosa Schum. and Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. The forbs Boerhavia spp. and Euphorbia heterophylla L. also increased in abundance, whereas others, such as Aspilia bussei Hoffm. & Muschl. and Laggera aurita (L.f.) Sch. Bip. ex C. B. Clarke, declined. The total number of species in the upland site declined from 30 to 11 between 1992 and 1996 compared with 11 to eight species in the same period in the irrigated lowlands. Although the numbers of species recorded in the lowlands were lower and more stable over time, there was an increase in problem grass weeds, such as Echinochloa crus-pavonis (Kunth.) Schult. in the irrigated lowlands and Leersia hexandra Sw.in the rain-fed lowlands.     

Influence of liquid manure application method on weed control in spring cereals

Summary Injection of liquid manure (slurry) into the soil is an alternative to the traditional surface application. By the injection method, it is possible to place nutrients closer to the crop sown, thus offering the crop a competitive advantage over weeds. This study compares the response in crop yield, weed density and weed biomass to injection vs. surface application of liquid manure through three growing seasons in barley and oats. The manure applications were combined with treatments of weed harrowing or herbicide spraying or no treatment at all. The levels of weed control and crop yield obtained by harrowing and herbicides were larger when slurry was injected compared with surface application. Without any weed control treatments, the injection method decreased the final weed biomass in barley. The influence of nutrient injection on yield and weed control seemed to be modulated by the time of emergence and the early growth rate of the crop relative to weeds. Thus, because of its early root growth and development, barley responded more quickly to the injection treatment than oats. Consequently, barley became a more competitive crop.     

The impact of landscape structure and sown grass margin strips on weed assemblages in arable crops and their boundaries

A paired-field study was made in southern England in arable fields, each with or without sown 6-m wide grass margin strips. Seven field pairs were located in each of small, intermediate and open landscapes, which were based on mean field size. Ground cover, plant species diversity and assemblages were assessed in crop centres, crop edges and non-crop field boundaries. The data were used to test for effects of sown grass margins, differences in field location, impacts on rare weed species and for landscape effects on weed assemblages. Significantly higher plant species diversity was found in boundaries protected by buffer strips. Annual weeds associated with field edges, notably Anisantha sterilis , were found at lower cover where perennial grass strips were present. Sown grass strips enhanced boundary plant diversity, particularly by increasing polycarpic species. Margin strips had a small influence on the weed flora of the crop edge, possibly reducing weed cover, but had no influence on floras of field centres. Field size and landscape context did not affect weed assemblages, which show marked field-to-field variability, though crop type was an important influence. Grass margins did not enhance rare arable weed species and may be a threat to them, if margins are sited where such species are known to occur in the seedbank. With this exception, grass strips are a positive influence on boundary flora diversity and reduce margin weeds in arable landscapes.     

Persistence of insect growth regulators against the rice weevil,sitophilus oryzae,in grain commodities

Ten insect growth regulators (IGRs): four juvenile hormone analogs (JHAs) — fenoxycarb, MV-678, R-20458 and dofenapyn, and six molt inhibitors (MIs) — triflumuron, chlorfluazuron, hexaflumuron, teflubenzuron, Dowco 439 and flufenoxuron; and the organophosphate malathion, were evaluated for residual activity in stored grain for 2 years against the rice weevil,Sitophilus oryzae (L.). Triflumuron, flufenoxuron, teflubenzuron, chlorfluazuron, hexaflumuron and fenoxycarb, each at a concentration as low as 1 ppm a.i., were superior to 10 ppm malathion throughout the experiment. The six MIs, each tested at 50 and 100 ppm a.i., gave complete control for 2 years. Moreover, a concentration as low as 1 ppm a.i. of triflumuron, teflubenzuron, flufenoxuron and chlorfluazuron had good residual activity for 1 year post-treatment and provided almost complete grain protection during this period. Among the JHAs, fenoxycarb had the best residual activity. It gave almost complete control (96.6%) ofS. oryzae at 10 ppm for 18 months post-treatment. The other JHAs at the four test concentrations failed to produce this level of control. The viability of the wheat grain was not affected by any of the insecticidal treatments, with 90% germination recorded in treated and control, grains at all intervals tested.     

Spatial patterns,species richness and cover in weed communities of organic and conventional no‐tillage spring wheat systems

Heterogeneous field conditions are ubiquitous throughout agricultural systems and have given rise to the practice of site‐specific management, in an effort to increase sustainability and/or homogenise growing conditions and thereby increase crop yields. The spatial pattern of weeds in conventional systems is widely accepted to be aggregated, but there have been no scientific studies regarding the spatial pattern of weed distribution in organic systems. Using a combination of aggregation measures and quadrat variance techniques, this study compared the spatial pattern of weed distribution in conventionally managed no‐tillage spring wheat fields to those of organically managed spring wheat fields. Per cent weed cover data (by species) were collected in the summers of 2005 and 2006 from transects located in conventional no‐tillage and organic spring wheat fields. Weed cover was aggregated in both the conventional and the organic systems, but the patterns of aggregation were different for the two systems. Conventional no‐tillage systems showed a patch/gap pattern, while organic systems showed multiple scales of patchiness with few gaps. These results suggest that processes causing aggregation in the two systems may be different and that site‐specific management may be applicable to organic systems as well as conventional spring wheat systems.     

江苏省镇江市麦田杂草发生情况调查

为了摸清江苏省镇江市麦田杂草种类、分布状况、出草规律、草相变化、防除情况等,通过倒"W"形九点取样法对镇江市麦田杂草进行了调查。调查结果显示镇江市麦田杂草有29科99种,日本看麦娘、菵草、猪殃殃、看麦娘、稻槎菜、硬草、繁缕、大巢菜、荠菜、涩荠、野老鹳草、牛繁缕、早熟禾为该地区主要危害性杂草,其中菵草、日本看麦娘、猪殃殃为麦田杂草群落优势种。不同地形区域杂草种类和优势种不同。镇江市麦田杂草由20世纪90年代初以看麦娘、日本看麦娘和猪殃殃等为主演变为以菵草、日本看麦娘、猪殃殃为主,稻槎菜、硬草、繁缕等发生较重。出草高峰集中在小麦播后15 d左右,具体到镇江来说11月底至12月上旬为杂草发生高峰期。针对镇江本地杂草发生情况,制定了以土壤封闭和茎叶处理相结合的防控技术方案。