Organic Weed Management: A Step Forward Towards Sustainability

Abstract

Organic farming faces significant weed control challenges. So even though organic farming benefits the environment and preserves species variety, it may also result in an increase in weed infestations that deters farmers from switching from conventional farming to organic farming (Albrecht, 2005). Organic farming is a method of food production that relies on locally available renewable resources, preserves biodiversity, soil fertility, and productivity, and largely forgoes the use of synthetic fertilizers and chemicals while still producing high-quality, chemical-free food for both people and livestock. Weeds are one of the main obstacles in organic farming because they can adjust to a variety of climatic conditions, grow quickly, produce more seeds than crops, and lower yields (Rose et al., 2018). In organic farming, weed control strategies include mulching, manual weeding, tillage techniques, plant population, bioherbicides, and intercropping. The most effective strategy for restraining weed infestations below the level that would be economically detrimental is integrated weed control. In no area is it possible to completely prevent and eradicate weeds, but organic farming makes it possible and cheap to reduce their infestation and spread (Barberi, 2002). To control weeds below the economic threshold level, various agronomic practices that are ethically sound from an economic, ecological, and toxicological perspective are combined into integrated weed management. Maintaining weed control is the primary goal of weed management in an organic farming system.

Intercropping as a Strategy for Weed Management in Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.)

“…Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crop species simultaneously in one field. It may help in the control of weeds in many crops [12], complementing herbicides if necessary [13], thus becoming a very valuable tool for organic and sustainable agriculture [14][15][16]. In the case of legumes, weed reduction has been reported when combined with diverse crops, such as corn, wheat, oat, barley, or rape [17][18][19][20][21][22][23].…”