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.