The effect of sowing date, stale seedbed, row width and mechanical weed control on weeds and yields of organic winter wheat

Three field experiments were carried out in organically grown winter wheat in Denmark. The treatments were sowing time (normal or late sowing) and false seedbed, row width (12 and 24 cm) and weed control method [untreated; mechanical weed control (weed harrowing at 12 cm supplemented with inter‐row hoeing at 24 cm); and herbicide weed control]. Weed biomass in midsummer was greatest on plots sown at the normal sowing time (compared with delayed sowing) and was reduced by mechanical or chemical weed control (compared with untreated plots). Row width alone had no influence on weed biomass, but in the experiment with high weed pressure, the more intensive mechanical weed control used at a row width of 24 cm reduced weed biomass. Normal sowing time tended to give higher yields, but this was only statistically significant in one of the three experiments. Wide rows gave a yield decrease in the experiment with low weed pressure. The effect of weed control on yield was dependent on the weed pressure. At low weed pressure, mechanical weed control caused a yield decrease compared with untreated or herbicide treated. At intermediate weed levels there were no differences, whereas at high weed pressure, mechanical weed control and herbicide treatment caused a yield increase compared with untreated. False seedbeds were shown to contribute to a decrease in the soil seed reserve.     

Influence of intra-row cruciferous surrogate weed growth on crop yield in organic spring cereals

In Northern Europe, inter-row hoeing has become a popular tactic for controlling weeds in organic cereals. Hoeing is highly effective and can be implemented from crop emergence until stem elongation to maintain a nearly weed-free inter-row zone. However, hoeing has a lesser effect on weeds growing in the intra-row zone, where crop–weed proximity results in heightened competition. In the hoed cereal system, it is investigated whether tall-growing, competitive, cruciferous weeds in the intra-row zone affect crop biomass, yield and thousand kernel weight (TKW). An additive experimental design is employed to enable the fitting of rectangular hyperbolas, describing and quantifying the effects of increasing intra-row surrogate weed density on crop growth parameters. Regressions were studied under the influence of crop (spring barley and spring wheat), row spacing (narrow [12.5 or 15.0 cm] and wide [25.0 cm]) and nitrogen rate (50 and 100 kg NH₄-N/ha). Cruciferous surrogate weeds were found to impact crop yield and quality severely. For example, ten intra-row plants/m² of surrogate weed Sinapis alba reduced grains yields by 7%–14% in spring barley and by 7%–32% in spring wheat with yield losses becoming markedly greater in wheat compared to barley as weed density increases. Compared to wheat, barley limited yield and quality losses and suppressed intra-row weed growth more. Row spacing did not have a consistent effect on crop or weed parameters; in one of six experiments, the 25 cm row spacing reduced yields and increased intra-row weed biomass in wheat. Nitrogen rate did not affect crop or weed parameters. Results warrant the implementation of additional tactics to control intra-row weeds and limit crop losses.     

Robotic weeding's false dawn? Ten requirements for fully autonomous mechanical weed management

While machines called weeding robots are now commercially available and many more designs are being actively researched, I contend that current machines are not truly robotic weeders, rather they are essentially self‐guiding vehicles carrying weeding tools. I consider true robotic weeders to be a far more difficult objective. While advances in robotics have been outstanding, the weeding component often appears to be an afterthought. I contend that the weeding is as complex as the robotics. A genuine weeding robot should be able to: (i) monitor the crop, weeds, weather and soil, (ii) decide when the crop should be weeded, (iii) choose the optimal weeder, (iv) take the weeder to the field, (v) adjust the weeder for optimal performance, (vi) continuously monitor the entire weeder for blockages and mechanical breakages and fix them in the field, (vii) continuously monitor and adjust the weeder's performance, (viii) return the weeder to the farmyard and (ix) clean, maintain and store the weeder, that is replace all human intervention. This ten‐point list both defines and is a guide to what is required for completely autonomous robotic weeding. Currently, this list is far beyond current technology and it may be decades before it is realisable. The aim of this study therefore was not to disparage the achievements of agricultural roboticists, rather it is to highlight the complexity and demands of mechanical weeding and therefore describe what is really required to create a true robotic weeder. I therefore hope it will guide and expedite research and lead to more rapid success for robotic weeding.     

The effect of mulching and tillage on the water and temperature regimes of a loess soil: Experimental findings and modeling

Crop residues and tillage are being advocated for their potential effectiveness to modify the soil hydrothermal regime. This study was carried out to quantify the effect of straw mulching and rotary hoeing on the soil water and thermal regimes of a loess soil. The field experiment consisted of four treatments: (1) no mulching and no rotary hoeing as control, (2) rotary hoeing, (3) wheat straw mulching, and (4) wheat straw mulching with rotary hoeing. During the study period from 5 August to 20 September 2002, soil water content and pressure head were measured daily at five soil depths (0.05, 0.15, 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 m). Soil temperatures were measured at hourly resolution at three depths (0.05, 0.15 and 0.30 m). Mulching decreased soil water loss on an average by 0.39 mm d⁻¹ and rotary hoeing increased water loss on an average by 0.12 mm d⁻¹ as compared to control. Volumetric soil water contents at pF 1, 1.8 and 2.5 up to 30 cm depth were highest (0.418, 0.390, and 0.360 m³ m⁻³, respectively) with the application of wheat straw mulch and lowest (0.393, 0.363, and 0.333 m³ m⁻³, respectively) with the rotary hoeing. Soil thermal conductivity measured at pF 1, 1.8, 2.5, 3, and 3.7 decreased with increasing suctions in all the treatments. However, the tillage and mulching did not affect the soil thermal conductivity. Further, compared with the control, mulching reduced average soil temperatures by 0.74, 0.66, 0.58 °C at 0.05, 0.15, and 0.30 m, respectively, during the study period. The rotary hoeing tillage slightly increased the average soil temperature by 0.21 °C at 0.05 m depth compared to control. The tillage effect did not transmit to deeper depths. The numerical model Hydrus-1D was used to simulate the water and temperature regimes of the treatments. Simulations with hydraulic parameters derived from laboratory measurements did not yield satisfactory results. Only when the hydraulic parameters were optimized by the inverse method, simulations performed well. The largest deviations were observed in the wheat straw mulching treatment. Simulations were further improved by adjusting the potential evaporation rate from the measured data which was achieved by linking the inversion code UCODE to the Hydrus-1D. Soil temperatures at 0.05 and 0.15 m in all the treatments were modeled well, yielding root mean square errors between 0.3 and 1.7 °C. As for soil water, the largest temperature deviations were found for the mulching treatment. All simulations underestimated soil temperatures at 0.30 m. In conclusion, crop residue can be utilized as mulching to improve the soil hydrothermal regime and the Hydrus-1D model can be used as a tool for analyzing water and heat transport processes and for estimating hydraulic transport parameters under field conditions.     

Mechanical and cultural strategies to control Cirsium arvense in organic arable cropping systems

Infestation with Cirsium arvense in organic cropping is an increasing problem in many parts of Europe. Non‐chemical management strategies against C. arvense, based on cultivation tactics and/or different cutting regimes, have received very little attention for many years. This study presents results from four experiments, undertaken under organic growing conditions, on the effects of repeated mowing or hoeing during the first part of the growing season, used in combination with competition from a suppressive crop (grass/white clover mixture or red clover). The strategies were mainly aimed at diminishing the regenerative capacity of C. arvense and the effects were thus measured in the subsequent year in spring barley crops, in the absence of any weed control. In general, number of passes of mowing and hoeing linearly reduced the amount of aboveground C. arvense biomass in the subsequent year. Increased competition induced by the competitive crops further reduced C. arvense biomass. Differences in barley yield were explained by the amount of C. arvense biomass only in one experiment, where this weed was most abundant. Our results suggest that an acceptable level of C. arvense control can be achieved through an intensive hoeing or mowing campaign, within one growing season only. This may lead to increased crop yield in the subsequent year.     

银荆林冠下天然更新的研究

为探索银荆林冠下天然更新可行性 ,在主伐利用前用浅锄、割灌等方法研究其与幼苗产生和生长的关系 ,发现处理间、处理与对照间在幼苗株数和生长上存在极显著差异。试验表明 ,可以在主伐利用前 ,采用浅锄、割灌等措施促进银荆林冠下天然更新 ,且盖度控制在 0 5～ 0 1之间为佳     

MODELLING THE EFFECT OF VEGETATION COVER AND DIFFERENT TILLAGE PRACTICES ON SOIL EROSION IN VINEYARDS: A CASE STUDY IN VRÁBLE (SLOVAKIA) USING WATEM/SEDEM

Vineyards represent one of the most erosion‐prone types of cultivated land. Because of this, cultivation practices are very important in reducing the soil erosion risk in vineyard regions. The aim of this paper was to assess the impact of various management practices on soil loss in vineyards. Effects of tillage, hoeing, rotavating and grass cover were evaluated in small vineyards located in southwestern Slovakia in the Vráble viticultural district. Erosion and deposition rates were estimated using the levelling method. This method is based on an evaluation of variability of the soil surface against vineyard poles measured between the year of pole insertion and the year of measurement. On the basis of the measured data, a WATEM/SEDEM distributed soil erosion model was calibrated, and the total soil loss from the vineyards under different management conditions was estimated. The model shows rather good performance in modelling soil erosion, but at the same time, it shows lower reliability in modelling soil deposition. Downslope tilled vineyards were the most eroded; the erosion in rotavated vineyards is somewhat reduced. The most protective tillage system is hoeing. Considerably lower soil loss was estimated with the use of vegetation cover between vine rows, which is in accordance with agro‐environmental schemes supporting use of grass cover as an erosion prevention measure in vineyards. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relationship between speed, soil movement into the cereal row and intra-row weed control efficacy by weed harrowing

Field trials were carried out at a single Danish and two Spanish locations. In Denmark, winter wheat was sown at 24‐cm row spacing allowing hoeing in the inter‐row area. Hoeing speeds of 2, 5 and 8 km h^?1 were tested at the end of tillering, at the beginning of stem elongation or on both occasions. The crop was harrowed immediately after hoeing at the same speed. At the Spanish locations the winter barley was sown at a 12‐cm row spacing and harrowed only, at either pre‐emergence plus post‐emergence, or once post‐emergence at mid‐tillering at 2, 4, 6 and 8 km h^?1. The depth of the soil layer thrown into the cereal row was measured at all locations. This layer ranged between 0.4 and 1.4 cm, depending on the site and on the treatment, but was generally higher following a single harrow treatment at all sites. The soil layer only tended to increase with faster speeds at the Danish location. On a more sandy soil and soil rolled prior to treatment, less soil was thrown into the cereal row. When two hoe + harrowing treatments were made, a finer soil structure was achieved. However, this did not affect the weed control. At the Danish location, initial intra‐row weeding efficacy of Brassica napus, based on plant number before and 7 days after treatment, was found to be low (21–41%) but increased to 74–79% when assessed after 45 days. Partial burial and bending of B. napus, together with crop competition, probably suppressed weed growth and enhanced final mortality. Uprooting was probably a more important cause of mortality for Stellaria media. At the Spanish locations, weeding efficacy of Papaver rhoeas was similar, ranging between 58% and 83% and this was achieved soon after harrowing. A thicker soil layer did not result in a greater weed kill. It was therefore suggested that burial alone could not be the main factor responsible for weed control in any of the cases studied. No reduction in wheat biomass, measured at the end of May, was found with increasing speed, or with repeated passes of the harrow. The results suggested that faster harrowing, which is economically more attractive for farmers, could be recommended. The soil layer thrown into the row was not found to be a useful parameter to predict the weed control efficacy in the cases presented.     

Effect of soil management on soil erosion on sloping farmland during crop growth stages under a large-scale rainfall simulation experiment

Soil erosion on farmland is a critical environmental issue and the main source of sediment in the Yellow River, China. Thus, great efforts have been made to reduce runoff and soil loss by restoring vegetation on abandoned farmland. However, few studies have investigated runoff and soil loss from sloping farmland during crop growth season. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of soil management on runoff and soil loss on sloping farmland during crop growth season. We tested different soybean growth stages (i.e., seedling stage (R1), initial blossoming stage (R2), full flowering stage (R3), pod bearing stage (R4), and initial filling stage (R5)) and soil management practice (one plot applied hoeing tillage (HT) before each rainfall event, whereas the other received no treatment (NH)) by applying simulated rainfall at an intensity of 80 mm/h. Results showed that runoff and soil loss both decreased and infiltration amount increased in successive soybean growth stages under both treatments. Compared with NH plot, there was less runoff and higher infiltration amount from HT plot. However, soil loss from HT plot was larger than that from NH plot in R1-R3, but lower in R4 and R5. In the early growth stages, hoeing tillage was effective for reducing runoff and enhancing rainfall infiltration. By contrast, hoeing tillage enhanced soil and water conservation during the late growth stages. The total soil loss from HT plot (509.0 g/m²) was 11.1% higher than that from NH plot (457.9 g/m²) in R1-R5. However, the infiltration amount from HT plot (313.9 mm) was 18.4% higher than that from NH plot (265.0 mm) and the total runoff volume from HT plot was 49.7% less than that from NH plot. These results indicated that crop vegetation can also act as a type of vegetation cover and play an important role on sloping farmland. Thus, adopting rational soil management in crop planting on sloping farmland can effectively reduce runoff and soil loss, as well as maximize rainwater infiltration during crop growth period.     

Maximizing Efficacy and Economics of Mechanical Weed Control in Row Crops Through Forecasts of Weed Emergence

Abstract

In row crops of the North American Corn Belt two important forms of postplant mechanical weed control are rotary hoeing and inter-row cultivation. Unfortunately, the efficacies of these two control technologies are variable, which leads to high levels of economic risk. We hypothesized that efficacies and profitability of rotary hoeing and inter-row cultivation would increase, and risk would decrease, if the timing of control was based more on weed emergence times, than on rule-of-thumb calendar dates. Field research was conducted in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) for two years in Minnesota wherein four dates of rotary hoeing and three dates of inter-row cultivation, alone or supplemented by grass or broadleaf herbicides, were examined for weed control, crop yield, and net returns. Results indicate that timing influences the efficacy of mechanical control operations, but blanket optimal calendar windows that are generally applicable cannot be established, as such decisions may be location-specific and/or time-dependent. In contrast, efficacies appear more consistent if emergence percentages are used to decide the time of mechanical operations, e.g., rotary hoe at 30% and cultivate at 60% green foxtail (Setaria viridis [L.] Beauv.) emergence. The results also suggest that while it is possible for exclusive mechanical weed control to be optimal in some instances, consistently profitable weed control strategies will inevitably involve some herbicide usage.