Punch planting, flame weeding and stale seedbed for weed control in row crops

Punch planting is introduced as a new method to reduce weeds within rows in organically grown crops. In this method a hole is punched in the soil, and a seed is dropped into it, without seedbed preparation and soil disturbance outside the hole. In 2 years, punch planting with flame weeding, normal planting with flame weeding and normal planting without flame weeding were compared in fodder beet for five planting dates. Each planting date represented a lag‐period since establishment of the stale seedbed. Over all planting times and years, punch planting with flame weeding reduced intra‐row weed densities by 30% at the two to four leaf stage of fodder beet compared with normal drilling with flame weeding. Punch planting with flame weeding also reduced intra‐row weed densities by 50% compared with normal drilling without flame weeding. In general, there was no improved performance of punch planting with flame weeding over years by later planting, but delayed planting reduced intra‐row weed densities significantly. Over 2 years, 240 day degrees Celsius (4 weeks) planting delay reduced intra‐row weed densities in the range of 68–86% depending on plant establishment procedure. Punch planting with flame weeding offers a promising method of weed control in organic farming.     

Strategic tillage in Australian conservation agricultural systems to address soil constraints: How does it impact weed management?

In the conservation agricultural systems practised in Australia, cultivation is not commonly utilised for the purpose of weed control. However, occasional use of tillage (strategic tillage) is implemented every few years for soil amelioration, to address constraints such as acidity, water repellence or soil compaction. Depending on the tillage method, the soil amelioration process buries or disturbs the topsoil. The act of amelioration also changes the soil physical and chemical properties and affects crop growth. While these strategic tillage practices are not usually applied for weed control, they are likely to have an impact on weed seedbank burial, which will in turn affect seed dormancy and seedbank depletion. Strategic tillage impacts on seed burial and soil characteristics will also affect weed emergence, plant survival, competitive ability of weeds against the crop and efficiency of soil applied pre-emergent herbicides. If growers understand the impacts of soil amelioration on weed demography, they can more effectively plan management strategies to apply following the strategic tillage practice. Weed seed burial resulting from a full soil inversion is understood, but for many soil tillage implements, more data is needed on the extent of soil mixing, burial of topsoil and the weed seedbank, physical control of existing weeds and stimulation of emergence following the tillage event. Within the agronomic system, there is no research on optimal timing for a tillage event within the year. There are multiple studies to indicate that strategic tillage can reduce weed density, but in most studies, the weed density increases in subsequent years. This indicates that more research is required on the interaction of amelioration and weed ecology, and optimal weed management strategies following a strategic tillage event to maintain weeds at low densities. However, this review also highlights that, where the impacts of soil amelioration are understood, existing data on weed ecology can be applied to potentially determine impacts of amelioration on weed growth.     

Einfluss der biologischen Bewirtschaftung auf die Phytodiversität in der Diasporenbank und oberirdischen Vegetation biologisch bewirtschafteter Ackerflächen

The project deals with the evaluation whether the conversion to organic farming leads to an increase of weed diversity. Additionally to the analysis of the above ground vegetation and the soil seedbank on the small permanent plots a mapping of the surrounding vegetation was conducted in 2012. The number of weed species varies highly over the years, but the inventory of species differs only slightly from the one found on the surrounding fields. The number of seeds per m² is highly correlated with the number of above ground weeds species. The crop has shown the highest influence on both.     

Development of arable weed seedbanks during the 6 years after the change from conventional to organic farming

All of the arable land of a farm in southern Germany was investigated during an 8-year period, starting 2 years before and ending 6 years after the change to organic farming. The first 3 years after the conversion, the total seed number in the soil increased from 4050 to 17 320 m⁻². From the fourth to the sixth year, it dropped back to 10 220 m⁻². The number of seeds increased particularly at sites with a low crop cover and a high density of weed plants at the soil surface. The increase predominantly occurring on the more fertile soils may have been caused by the rotation commencing with less competitive crops. Crops which increased the seedbank by 30–40% were winter cereals, sunflowers and lupins. Potatoes and sown fallow caused no significant change and grass–clover mixtures even reduced the number of seeds by 39%. Among 44 species occurring frequently enough for statistical analysis, 31 increased and only 3 decreased. The change of management particularly increased summer annual, perennial and dicotyledonous weeds. This can be attributed to both operations which are characteristic of organic farming (e.g. replacing herbicide applications by mechanical weed control) and to general modifications of the management practice which may also occur in non-organic farming systems (increasing the percentage of broad leaved and spring sown crops in crop rotation). The present study confirms investigations into the aboveground vegetation that indicate that arable organic farming favours plant species diversity and provides evidence that the conversion need not encourage the dominance of a few noxious weeds.     

Influence of weed management strategies on soil seedbank diversity

The role of three weed management strategies on weed populations and community dynamics was investigated from 1989 to 1994. These were chemical weed control (CH), integrated weed control (IN) and mechanical weed control (ME). Weed populations and communities were analysed by univariate (species richness, rank:frequency diagrams) and multivariate (correspondence analysis) methods. Species richness of the soil seedbank differed with weed management strategies and over time, with an observed annual number of species that ranged from 18 to 32. The seedbank was dominated by the same pool of species in all cases, but these species responded differently among years and management strategies; their rank (relative abundance) and densities changed between strategy and within a strategy among the years. In the last 2 years of the study, the soil seedbank was characterized mainly by #Capsella bursa-pastoris     

Modelling population dynamics of Sinapis arvensis in organically grown spring wheat production systems

Although we know that alterations in crop density, crop spatial pattern and inclusion of more selective weed control can improve weed suppression for organic growers, it is unknown whether these result in changes to the weed seedbank that increase cropping system profitability over time. Data collected from field trials conducted in 2009 and 2010 in Maine, USA, comparing regional grower practices (Standard) with management that aimed to (i) facilitate better physical weed control through the use of wide row spacing and inter‐row cultivation (Wide) or (ii) enhance crop–weed competition through increased seeding rate and narrow inter‐row spacing (Narrow HD), were used to construct a matrix population model with an economic sub‐model. Using field measurements of grain yield and weed survival and fecundity, we investigated the lasting implications of employing alternative organic spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) production practices on Sinapis arvensis population dynamics. In most scenarios, the model indicated that regional production practices were not sufficient to prevent an increase in the weed seedbank, even with excellent weed control. The two alternative methods, on the other hand, were able to limit weed population growth when initial densities were low or cultivation efficacy was >80%. Due to higher seed costs in the Narrow HD system, net returns were still lower after 10 years of simulation in this system compared with wide rows with cultivation, despite a lower weed seedbank.     

EXPERIMENTS IN HAND-WEEDING OF CONIFER SEEDBEDS IN FOREST NURSERIES

Summary. In 3 years and in three nurseries, experimental plots sown with conifer seed were weeded by hand at intervals from 1½ to 12 weeks. Assessments of the seedlings at the end of each year showed a reduction in numbers and height only on plots left for 12 weeks between successive weedings. The total time taken to weed plots during the growing season was least for plots weeded at intervals of 3-4 weeks and greatest for plots weeded at the longest intervals. Data on the total weight of weeds, the total number of weeds, the species composition and the stage of weed growth at weeding are also given and discussed.
Essais de désherbage dans les pépinières     

Weeding techniques in transplanted and direct wet-seeded rice in Pakistan

Field studies were undertaken to explore the weed management strategies for transplanted and direct wet-seeded rice in the Dera Ismail Khan district of North-west Frontier Province, Pakistan. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a split plot arrangement. The main plots consisted of two planting techniques (transplantation and direct seeding), while weed control practises assigned to the subplots included the use of the granular herbicide Sunstar 15WG (ethoxy sulfuron), Machete 60EC (butachlor), conventional hand weeding, and the weedy check (untreated control). Data were recorded on weed dynamics and the agronomic parameters of the rice crop. Economic analyses on the data were also run. The weed density and biomass were lower in the transplantation plots than the direct-seeding plots. The herbicides ethoxy sulfuron and butachlor reduced the density over the weedy check, with a density comparable to hand weeding in 2002, but slightly higher in 2003. As a result of weed management by hand weeding and herbicides, the paddy yield and its components were significantly higher for the transplanted method compared to the direct-seeded method. The comparable yield of herbicides with hand weeding offers an option for the use of herbicides as an alternative management tool. In light of our findings, it is concluded that for good economic returns, rice crops may be transplanted rather than direct-seeded. The herbicides ethoxy sulfuron and butachlor offer a weed control cover comparable with hand weeding under the transplantation method, while butachlor is good for controlling weeds even under the direct-seeded conditions in the agroclimatic conditions of the area.     

Lipid content drives weed seed consumption by ground beetles (Coleopterea,Carabidae) within the smallest seeds

Seed predation by natural predators can contribute to the regulation of the weed seedbank, hence has been acknowledged as a promising way to significantly reduce the use of chemicals and mechanical weeding to manage arable weeds. However, the complex aspects that determine seed species preference are not yet fully understood, especially, the relationship between weed seed traits and the feeding behaviour of seed predator species. In this study, we examine predation on 42 weed species by four ground beetle species as a function of two major seed traits: seed mass and seed lipid content. We used an _original experimental design to create a statistically independent trait value distribution for evaluating the separate and interactive effects of these two traits. Our results show that all the ground beetles species consumed weed seeds, but at different rates. The smallest weed seeds with high lipid content were among the most consumed. While seed mass might be limiting for ground beetles, due to ease of handling or the thickness of the seed coat, they may preferentially consume seeds rich in lipids to increase energy uptake. To our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal that two major seed traits drive seed predation by ground beetles.     

Potential of weed seedbanks for managing weeds: a review of recent New Zealand research

Weed seedbanks are the primary source of weeds in cultivated soils. Some knowledge of the weed seedbank may therefore be appropriate for integrated weed management programs. It would also be very useful in planning herbicide programs and reducing the total herbicide use. However, a number of problems are inherent in the estimation of the seedbank size for arable weeds that usually have annual life cycles. In a long-term research project we have investigated the dynamics of weed seedbanks in corn fields for the past 8 years. Specific studies have included (i) developing cheap and efficient methods for estimating the weed seedbank; (ii) developing guidelines for efficient soil sampling (including the number and size of samples); (iii) influence of cultivation methods on weed seed distribution; (iv) mapping the spatial variability of the seedbank; (v) estimating the rate of seedbank decline for certain weed species; and (vi) assessing the potential of using the weed seed content in the soil to predict future weed problems. This paper reviews and summarizes the results of our research on the above aspects. The strong correlation between seedlings emerged in the greenhouse and seeds extracted in the laboratory for the most abundant weed species has demonstrated the potential for using the weed seed content of the soil to predict future weed infestations. The next step is to establish correlations with field emergence under commercial conditions using the sampling guidelines developed in our studies. Subsequently, we aim to offer the weed seedbank estimation as a commercial service to farmers for planning the most appropriate weed management options.     

Seed production of Chenopodium album in competition with field vegetables

Total weed control within a crop is both difficult and expensive to achieve, so that some weeds will often remain to set seed. The seed production resulting from these weeds will ultimately affect the sustainability of the weed control strategy. If too much is allowed to return each season there could be a gradual, but significant, increase in the potential weed flora over a number of seasons. Field trials were carried out in 2000 and 2001 to quantify the potential magnitude of this weed seed return from Chenopodium album L., grown at two planting densities either in pure stands or in competition with one of two crops (cabbage or onion). Crop and weed weights and weed seed production were notably greater in 2001. Both dry weight and seed production of C. album were suppressed by increasing planting density or by the presence of crop, with cabbage having a more suppressive effect. Despite the plasticity in seed production, a linear relationship was demonstrated between log weed seed production and log weed biomass that was robust over a range of competitive situations with onion and cabbage, at different planting densities and in growing seasons. The study also demonstrated that the relationship could be combined with an existing simple competition model to allow the consequences of incomplete weed control to be assessed in terms of potential weed seed return.     

Weed flora and soil seedbanks in fields dominated by Imperata cylindrica in the moist savannah of West Africa

Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel is a dominant and infamous grass weed in the savannah of West Africa. Research to reduce the weed to non-damaging levels is a priority activity at many agricultural institutions. The successful development and implementation of long-term I. cylindrica management strategies depend on the ability to predict changes in weed composition after I. cylindrica has been controlled effectively. The weed flora and soil seedbank were assessed from 329 fields dominated by this species in the fringes of the humid forest (HFF), coastal/derived savannah (CDS) and in the southern Guinea savannah (SGS) in 1996 and 1997. The objectives of the study were to correlate species composition of the weed flora with that of the soil seedbank and to determine the effect of management factors and soil properties on the composition of the weed flora. Species richness in the weed flora and in the weed seedbank was higher in the SGS than in the CDS and HFF. Mean weed density per field was generally higher in the HFF (156 ± 25.0 weeds m^–2) than in the CDS (108 ± 8.1 weeds m^–2) and in the SGS (92 ± 6.3 weeds m^–2). Weed composition varied with agroecological zone as well as with management factors and soil properties. Sørenson's index of similarity was low (mean=0.20) in all zones, indicating poor similarity between the weed flora above-ground and the soil seedbank.     

Innovation in mechanical weed control in crop rows

Weed control within crop rows is one of the main problems in organic farming. For centuries, different weed removal tools have been used to reduce weeds in the crop rows. Stimulated by the demand from organic farmers, research in several European countries over the last decade has focused on mechanisation using harrowing, torsion finger weeding and weeding with compressed air (Pneumat). Intelligent weeders are now being developed which offer more advanced ways to control weeds, including larger ones and to leave the crop plants unharmed. One of the first commercially available intelligent weeders, the Sarl Radis from France, has a simple crop detection system based on light interception, which guides a hoe in and out of the crop row, around the crop plants. The inclusion of innovative technologies, including advanced sensing and robotics, in combination with new cropping systems, might lead to a breakthrough in physical weed control in row crops leading to significant reductions, or even elimination, of the need for hand weeding.     

Effect of Weeding Regime and Plant Spacings on Weed Growth and Performance of Transplanted Rice

Abstract

Effect of weeding regime (unweeded control, hand weeding once, 4 weeks after transplanting (w.a.t.) and hand weeding twice, 4 and 7 w.a.t.) and different plant spacings (20 × 2.5 cm, 20 × 5 cm, 20 × 10 cm, 20 × 15 cm and 20 × 20 cm) on weed growth and performance of transplanted rice were tested in a split-plot design. Grain yield and number of panicles were not significantly different in both weeding treatments from the unweeded control at 20 × 2.5 to 20 × 10 cm spacings, showing that, at closer spacings weed control may not be necessary to increase grain yield. The number of weeds at harvest was significantly lower in the weeded plots than the unweeded control at all spacings used. Weed weight at harvest was significantly affected by weeding regime at all spacings except at 20 × 2.5 cm, where no significant difference was observed between the weeded and the unweeded plots. Plant spacings significantly affected the grain yield and weed weight, but did not affect the panicle number and weed counts of transplanted rice. At 20 × 2.5 cm, grain yield was significantly better than that at 20 × 15 cm or 20 × 20 cm. A simple trend of increase in grain yield along with the decrease in spacing between plants was observed in terms of actual grain yield.     

The implication of stubble tillage for weed population dynamics in organic farming

In practical farming, early and shallow stubble tillage is carried out post‐harvest to stimulate germination of freshly ripened crop and weed seeds, to kill the resulting seedlings and hence to reduce the input into the soil seedbank. Additionally, it aims at reducing perennial weeds by mechanical damage. In this paper, field experiments and laboratory studies are presented which show that stubble tillage can reduce perennial weeds. However, it had a variable effect on annual weeds. After 5 years of experimentation, no effect of stubble tillage was seen on the aboveground vegetation. In contrast, the soil seedbank of the control was roughly doubled where the stubble had been left uncultivated until autumn ploughing. These results indicate that practical experience which assumes that stubble tillage reduces annual weed populations may be correct, despite the fact that in other published studies stubble tillage exerted no control on annual weeds or had a variable effect. This will have practical application in organic arable production systems.     

The implications of spatially variable pre‐emergence herbicide efficacy for weed management

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of pre‐emergence herbicides within fields is spatially variable as a consequence of soil heterogeneity. We quantified the effect of soil organic matter on the efficacy of two pre‐emergence herbicides, flufenacet and pendimethalin, against Alopecurus myosuroides and investigated the implications of variation in organic matter for weed management using a crop–weed competition model.

RESULTS

Soil organic matter played a critical role in determining the level of control achieved. The high organic matter soil had more surviving weeds with higher biomass than the low organic matter soil. In the absence of competition, surviving plants recovered to produce the same amount of seed as if no herbicide had been applied. The competition model predicted that weeds surviving pre‐emergence herbicides could compensate for sublethal effects even when competing with the crop. The ED50 (median effective dose) was higher for weed seed production than seedling mortality or biomass. This difference was greatest on high organic matter soil.

CONCLUSION

These results show that the application rate of herbicides should be adjusted to account for within‐field variation in soil organic matter. The results from the modelling emphasised the importance of crop competition in limiting the capacity of weeds surviving pre‐emergence herbicides to compensate and replenish the seedbank. © 2017 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Minimal soil disturbance combined with spring cropping can halt soil seedbank accumulation of Alopecurus myosuroides

The basic mechanism of soil inversion tillage for control of annual weeds is based on the vertical translocation of weed seeds from the soil surface to deeper soil layers. Buried weed seeds either remain dormant in the soil seedbank and are exposed to biological and chemical decay mechanisms, or they germinate but the seedlings cannot reach the soil surface (fatal germination). However, depending on the seed biology of the respective target species, frequent inversion tillage can lead to a build-up of the soil seedbank. For soil seedbank depletion based on available knowledge of the biology of Alopecurus myosuroides seeds, soil inversion tillage is suggested to be reduced to every third or fourth year with reduced or even no-tillage (direct seeding) in between (rotational inversion tillage systems). Including spring crops in the crop rotation could further help dampening the population growth and hence the seed return into the seedbank. This study investigated the effect of rotational inversion tillage in combination with reduced tillage or direct seeding on the soil seedbank and population development of A. myosuroides. In a long-term field trial, set up in 2012, these tillage strategies were compared with continuous inversion tillage in a 3-year crop rotation with two consecutive years of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) followed by spring barley (Hordeum vulgare). The results showed a significant decline in the soil seedbank following the spring crop, irrespective of the tillage system. The continuous inversion tillage system and inversion tillage before spring cropping with reduced tillage (shallow tillage with a disc harrow) before winter wheat both led to accumulation of seeds in the soil seedbank. In contrast, inversion tillage before spring cropping with direct seeding of winter wheat depleted the soil seedbank significantly after only one crop rotation. Although only covering one intensively studied field site, these findings highlight the need for diversified cropping systems and indicate potential avenues for reducing soil tillage while controlling economically important weeds.     

Influence of fallow management systems and frequency of cropping on weed growth and crop yield

The influence of weeds on maize intercropped with cassava was evaluated in three fallow management systems and four cropping frequencies from 1989 to 1996 in Ibadan, Nigeria, West Africa. Fallow management systems consisted of natural bush, Leucaena leucocephala hedgerows and Pueraria phaseoloides fallow. Frequencies of cropping were continuous cropping, 1 cropping year alternating with 1, 2 and 3 years of uncropped fallow. Shrubs and climbers contributed 60–70% and herbs (predominantly weeds) 30–40% to the total dry matter produced in all treatments. Weed dry matter and seedbank increased with time in all treatments but was higher in natural bush fallow by the fifth and sixth years and in continuously cropped plots. Weed seed density increased with time in the continuously cropped plots and in plots cropped after 1 or 2 years of fallow but decreased with time when the fallow period was up to 3 years. Maize grain yield decreased over time in both unweeded and weeded plots irrespective of treatment with the exception of the weeded P. phaseoloides fallow treatment. Cassava tuber yield decreased over time in unweeded plots in all treatments while tuber yield increased in weeded P. phaseoloides fallow treatment and remained relatively constant in L. leucocephala and natural bush fallow plots. The results from this study suggest that planted fallow involving legume species is more effective in weed management in the long term than natural fallow. Fallow period was beneficial to crop yield and yield improvement increased with the length of the fallow cycle, particularly for cassava.     

Suppression of weeds and weed seeds in the soil by stubbles and no-tillage in an arid maize-winter wheat-common vetch rotation on the Loess Plateau of China

Reduced tillage provides ecological and economic benefits to arable land on the Loess Plateau of China, where soil erosion has long been a serious problem and soil water availability is largely restricted. However, high abundances of weeds in reduced tillage systems cause significant yield losses. In this study, we explored the effects of no-tillage and stubble retention on the number and density of weeds and weed seeds in a 12-year maize-winter wheat-common vetch rotation on the Loess Plateau. Four treatments including conventional tillage, no-tillage, conventional tillage+stubble retention and no-tillage+stubble retention were designed and applied. We found that no-tillage increased the number of weed species and weed density in most of the crops, while stubble retention decreased weed density in maize and tended to suppress weeds in both no-tillage treatments(no-tillage and no-tillage+stubble retention). No-tillage led to an increase in the number of weed species in the weed seedbank and tended to increase seed density during the spring growth of winter wheat, but it decreased seed density during post-vetch fallow. Stubble retention tended to reduce seed density during the spring growth of winter wheat and post-vetch fallow. We concluded that no-tillage can promote weeds in the experimental crop rotation, while stubble retention suppresses weeds in untilled fields. The combined effects of stubble retention and no-tillage on weed suppression varied among the three crops. Based on these results, we recommend stubble retention in untilled legume-crop rotations on the Loess Plateau to improve the control of weeds.     

Impact of cropping systems on the weed seed banks in the northern Great Plains, USA

Very little research has been done on weed seedbank communities in the northern Great Plains region of the USA. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of management systems on the weed seed banks and to assess the relationship between the weed seed banks and the above-ground weed communities. The seed banks were sampled along a range of areas of above-ground weed diversity in organic and conventional spring wheat production fields near Big Sandy, Montana, over 2 years. Eight 1 m × 0.33 m areas were selected in each field to encompass a wide range of above-ground weed diversity and soil cores were taken in each area to a depth of 20 cm and split in half at 10 cm. The number of seeds recovered from the top 10 cm of soil and the 10–20 cm depth were significantly affected by the sampling year and an interaction between the cropping system and the sampling year. The year was the only significant predictor affecting the weed seedbank diversity at both depths. A significant interaction between the management system and the year observed at the 10–20 cm sampling depth reflected the higher rate of decrease in diversity occurring between 2005 and 2006 in the conventionally managed fields compared with the organic fields. A multivariate ordination indicated that, although the year played a significant role in determining the weed seedbank communities, the management system had a role only during 2006. We failed to detect strong correlations between the above-ground and underground weed communities. The results of this study suggest that, in the studied region, yearly fluctuations in environmental factors have significant impacts on the weed seed banks.