Integrated Effects of Cropping System and Herbicides on Maize Competitive Traits

Abstract

An experiment was set up in Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Serbia in 2009. Two cropping systems, maize continuous cropping and maize-winter wheat rotation, included subtreatments with different weed management: control without herbicide application and application of the herbicides isoxaflutole + acetochlor at the recommended dose (RD) and half of recommended dose (0.5 RD). After three and five years of experiment, maize harvest index, leaf area index (LAI), chlorophyll and carotenoids content as parameters of maize competitiveness, and weed biomass as parameter of weed abundance, and their interdependences were analyzed. Weed biomass was significantly decreased by herbicide application in both years and cropping systems, but there was no significant differences between recommended and half of recommended dose. The average weed biomass for all herbicide treatments was 33.73% lower in maizewinter wheat rotation than in maize continuous cropping. Parameters of maize competitiveness have been changed according to the level of herbicide application and to a greater extent in maize continuous cropping than in the maize-wheat rotation.

Herbicide Resistance: Managing Weeds in a Changing World

“…Other crops such as alfalfa, sunflower, corn and wheat have been found to reduce weed densities when included in a crop rotation cycle due to the presence of allelochemicals. It is, however, important to pay particular attention to the choice of crops in a rotation, since allelochemicals can have adverse effects on cultivated crops in the rotation as well [73,103,106,107].…”

The Effect of Different Microbial Fertilizers on the Weediness of Maize

“…Good weed control in maize crop is characterized by implementation of different supportive and aimed cultural practices. The system of measures is planed according to weed community composition and species abundance at certain agroecological conditions (Simić et al 2015). The main cultural practices in sustainable production of maize is fertilization, especially now in time with global climate change.…”