Band sowing with hoeing in organic grains: I. Comparisons with alternative weed management practices in spring barley

Abstract

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.

Optimisation of Weed Control in Organic Processing Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.): Impacts of Cultivar, Seeding Rate, Plant Spacing and Integrated Weed Management Strategy

“…Maybe a system combining row widening (to increase intra-row weed suppressiveness of spinach plants) and a sequence of broadcast harrowing and inter-row hoeing (to maximise weed control efficacy) can outperform harrowed systems with narrow row spacing. In spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) at a density of 325 plants m −2 , McCollough et al [17] indeed found lower weed biomass per m 2 in systems with band seeding (12.7 cm bands spaced 15.2 cm apart) or 22.8-cm-wide single rows managed with harrowing and inter-row hoeing with 12.7 cm knives than in single-row systems with narrow (16.5 cm) row spacing managed with harrowing.…”

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

“…Widening row spacing while maintaining the seeding rate has opposing effects on intra‐row resource availability, simultaneously increasing light penetration into the crop canopy (Kolb et al, 2012) and intensifying competition (Regnier and Bakelana, 1995; Weiner et al, 2001). In wide‐row hoed cereal systems, Kolb et al (2010, 2012) and McCollough et al (2020) observed that weeds remaining in the intra‐row zone were larger, with increased individual biomass and height compared to narrow‐row and standard cropping strategies. Heightened intra‐specific competition is also associated with the wide‐row sowing; when seeding rate is maintained while row spacing is increased, crop density in the intra‐row becomes more crowded, resulting in greater competition between individual crop plants (Regnier and Bakelana, 1995).…”

“…The practice of widening row spacings to distances ranging from 15 to 30 cm to accommodate inter-row hoeing with aggressive shares constitutes a recent topic of research (Kolb et al, 2010(Kolb et al, , 2012McCollough et al, 2020;Melander et al, 2003Melander et al, , 2018. In the hoed system, cereals are cultivated much like a row crop; this practice has started to garner adoption as an improved weed management strategy among growers in Northern Europe.…”

Band sowing with hoeing in organic grains: II. Evidence of improved weed management in spring wheat, oats, field peas, and flax

“…Because band sowing relies on crop-weed competition for the successful suppression of weeds in the intra-band zone, cereal crops are likely best suited for band sowing. However, in our related work in spring barley, band sowing with hoeing effects on weed density, biomass, and crop yield were inconsistent (McCollough et al 2020). It is important to note that our focus was on summer annual weeds.…”