Cover crops and weed management.

Abstract

This chapter addresses the complexity of managing cover crops in selected growing regions of the world. It focuses on the contributions that cover crops can make to weed management and the trade-offs that may be required between achieving weed management, crop production, and environmental benefits. Since cover crops can play a significant role in mitigating environmental impacts worldwide, interactions between weed management and management to enhance environmental protection are emphasized.

Living Mulch as a Tool to Control Weeds in Agroecosystems: A Review

“…In other words, including a living mulch in a cropping system can contribute to weed suppression by occupying the niche that would normally be filled by weeds (Teasdale 1998). Once established, living mulches can rapidly occupy the open space between the rows of the main crop and use the light, water, and nutritional resources that would otherwise be available to weeds.…”

“…Much of the research with living mulches has focused on documenting and alleviating this problem (Liebman and Staver 2001;Teasdale, 1998). Many studies in the North Central U.S. on legume interseeding in established corn stands report grain yield losses that are attributed to moisture stress (Kurtz et al 1952;Pendleton et al 1957), N deficiency (Scott et al 1987;Triplett 1962), and reduced corn populations associated with wider row spacing (Schaller and Larson 1955;Stringfield and Thatcher 1951).…”

“…Moreover, the presence of living mulches leads to greater seed mortality of weeds by favoring predators (Cromar et al 1999). Teasdale (1998) also suggested that living-mulch suppression of weeds occurs through resource competition, promoting conditions that are unfavorable for germination and establishment, retaining living mulch residues as ground cover, and by means of allelopathy.…”

“…Weed seed germination can be negatively affected by quality and quantity of light and the smaller amplitude of soil temperature fluctuation that result from the presence of living mulches (Gallagher et al 1999;Teasdale 1998). Germination of weed seeds may be inhibited by complete light interception (Phatak 1992) by the living mulch or by secretion of allelochemicals (White et al 1989;Overland 1966).…”

Screening Cover Crops for Soil Macrofauna Abundance and Diversity in Conservation Agriculture

“…The high temperatures in the early months after planting could have influenced the fast growth of velvet bean resulting to high biomass. Teasdale et al (2007) also supports that velvet bean is well adapted to dry hot conditions. Cowpea is said to be well adapted in acidic soils however, it gave the lowest biomass accumulation in Bergville.…”