The standard cropping strategy used to grow organic cereals in Northern Europe is to sow at an inter-row spacing of 12.5 cm; weeds are controlled physically by implementing both pre-and post-emergence weed harrowing. Pre-emergence harrowing is performed after sowing and before crop emergence, reducing the number of weeds that establish alongside the crop. Postemergence harrowing is performed after crop emergence (Lundkvist, 2009; Rasmussen, 2004). Weed harrowing has both its advantages and disadvantages, as argued in Melander et al.
Weeds remain the foremost production challenge for organic small grain farmers in the northeastern United States. Instead of crops sown in narrow, single-line rows, band sowing offers a more uniform spatial arrangement of the crop, maximizing interspecific while reducing intraspecific competition. Weeds in the inter-band zone are controlled by cultivating with aggressive sweeps; tine harrowing can target weeds in both intra- and inter-band zones. Field experiments in Maine and Vermont in 2016 and 2017 evaluated band sowing for improved weed control, crop yield, and grain quality in organic spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ‘Newdale’). Specifically, we compared: (1) the standard practice of sowing 16.5-cm rows at a target crop density of 325 plants m−2, (2) narrow-row sowing with increased crop density, (3) wide-row sowing with interrow hoeing, and (4) band sowing both with and (5) without inter-band hoeing. Mustard (Sinapis alba L. ‘Ida Gold’) was planted throughout the experiment as a surrogate weed. Compared with the standard practice, band sowing with hoeing reduced surrogate weed density on average by 45% across site-years. However, effects on weed biomass and yield were inconsistent, perhaps due to suboptimal timing of hoeing and adverse weather conditions. In 1 out of 4 site-years, band sowing with hoeing reduced surrogate weed biomass by 67% and increased crop yield compared with the standard treatment. Results also indicate that band sowing with hoeing may improve 1,000-kernel weight and plump kernel grain-quality parameters.
The long-term success of weed management programs requires that all crops in a rotation receive satisfactory weed control. Band sowing with inter-band hoeing has been proposed as an innovative weed management strategy for grain crops. In the band-sowing system, crops are sown in a broadcast pattern within a band of some chosen width (here we selected 12.7 cm); weeds between bands are controlled with inter-band hoeing, with or without so-called “blind cultivation,” for example, tine harrowing. Alteration of the crop spatial arrangement from typical single-line rows to a more evenly distributed pattern aims to enhance interspecific competition while reducing intraspecific competition. Field experiments, conducted in Maine in 2016 and 2017, compared band sowing with inter-band hoeing to the region’s standard practice of planting in 16.5-cm rows and tine harrowing in four test crops: spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Glenn’), oat (Avena sativa L. ‘Colt’), field pea (Pisum sativum L. ‘Jetset’), and flax (Linum usitatissimum L. ‘Prairie Thunder’). Band sowing improved weed control relative to the standard practice, especially in crops with greater competitive ability (wheat and oat). Despite improved weed control, in most cases, yields were unaffected by treatment. While band sowing with hoeing provided improved weed control in multiple crops, further study is warranted to optimize seeding rate, band width, and inter-band width to improve crop yields.
Automated guidance systems have advanced precise inter-row hoeing in narrowly spaced cereals. Compared to other direct mechanical strategies, hoeing provides superior weed control and improved yields. However, weeds in the uncultivated intra-row zone may survive and compete intensely with the crop, causing yield loss. Therefore, improved intra-row weed management strategies in hoed cereals must be investigated. In spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), the effect of crop density was assessed at four levels (200, 300, 400, and 500 plants m−2); inter-row spacing at two levels (15 and 20 cm), relevant to the abilities of current automated equipment to hoe between narrowly spaced rows, and weed management treatment at three levels (no additional controls, herbicide, and pre-emergence tine harrowing). All treatments received inter-row hoeing, and a surrogate weed (Sinapis alba L.) was sown and monitored throughout experiments. The manipulation of crop density was a reliable method for suppressing the growth of intra-row weeds. As barley density increased from target 200 to 500 plants m−2, percent reduction in intra-row surrogate and ambient weed biomass (g m−2) increased from 49 to 82% and 53 to 99%, respectively. Increasing crop density caused a decrease in grain bulk density (kg hL−1) both years, and grain protein (%) and thousand kernel weight (g) in one year; whether these changes constitute a loss in grain quality depends upon end-use. While row spacing had no effect on intra-row weeds, crop yields were 7 to 8% less at 20 cm compared to 15 cm, incentivizing narrow row sowing. Barley yields were unaffected by increasing crop density, and the effect of pre-emergence tine harrowing was inconsistent. In one year, harrowing reduced surrogate and ambient weed biomass and increased barley yield; however, in another year, ambient weed biomass increased, and harrowing did not affect yield or surrogate weed biomass.
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