Use of perennial cover crops to suppress weeds in Nicaraguan coffee orchards

Both uncontrolled weed growth and vegetation‐free orchard floors have been shown to affect coffee (Coflea arabica L.) negatively, but using cover crops as a solution has yielded conflicting results in different studies. In this study we tested the establishment success of three cover crop species under different management intensities and planting densities, as well as their long term weed‐controlling abilities and effects on weed community composition. Monthly manual weedings during the first 12 weeks after planting resulted in more rapid and extensive cover crop development compared with less intensive management. Transplanted Commelina diffusa Burm. f. grew most rapidly and controlled weeds by limiting light availability, but disappeared during the dry season and failed to establish at all on one of the farms. Arachis pintoi established and persisted for over 2 years, providing excellent weed control by outcompeting weeds for water and/or nutrient resources. Desmodium ovalifolium Wall required the longest time to establish and controlled weeds by an undetermined competitive mechanism. The sowing method of Desmodium led to intense intraspecific competition which probably decreased its effectiveness. Both Arachis and Desmodium led to lower relative abundances of grassy weeds and more perennial forbs, but total weed biomass was so low that these differences have no practical implications.