Weed Infestation and Health of the Soybean Crop Depending on Cropping System and Tillage System

Abstract

This study evaluated weed infestation and health of the soybean crop grown in crop rotation (CR) and monoculture (CM) under conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) conditions. The research proved that growing soybean in monoculture and under no-tillage conditions increases weed infestation and infection of soybean with fungal diseases. In these treatments, increased numbers of most of the dominant species were also found. A significantly higher percentage of monocotyledonous species and a much lower percentage of dicotyledonous ones in total weed dry weight were shown in the CR treatment relative to CM and in the NT system compared to CT. The biodiversity of the weed community was similar in monoculture and crop rotation, and slightly greater in the NT system in comparison with CT conditions. In both tillage systems, Amaranthus retroflexus was the weed species that most infested the soybean crop. In soybean grown after itself, Amaranthus retroflexus was the weed that occurred in the greatest numbers, while, in crop rotation, this was Echinochloa crus-galli. In all years of the study, soybean was infected with Septoria glycines to the highest degree, which was followed by Cercospora sojina, whereas infection with Ascochyta sp. was the lowest. Weather conditions in individual years of the study were proven to affect weed infestation and infection of soybean with fungal diseases. The study results prove that cropping systems and tillage systems significantly affect weed infestation and health of the soybean crop.

Effect of Tillage Technology Systems for Seed Germination Rate in a Laboratory Tests

“…Therefore, the germination of weed species is not affected by inhibitory substances in the soil environment. Although many authors point out the influence of technologies on the change in the infestation of field crops by weeds [45][46][47], our research results suggest that inhibitory substances in the soil environment should not be held responsible for that.…”

Metabolomics as a Tool to Study Underused Soy Parts: In Search of Bioactive Compounds

“…Keeping these materials on the soil contributes to mineral, organic matter, and humidity factors [32]. In contrast, problems related to higher weed and disease infestations, as well as greenhouse gas emissions caused by the decomposition of organic matter, require alternative management of the agricultural straw [33][34][35][36][37][38]. By applying a biorefinery approach, such by-products could be transformed into raw material for the extraction of several bioactive compounds.…”

Weed Ecology and New Approaches for Management

“…The high importance of the tillage system on the biodiversity of the segetal flora was confirmed by the biodiversity indices. Gawęda et al [6] found that the abundance and dry weight of the weeds in the soybean cultivated in the no-till system was higher than in the conventional plough system. Tillage simplification also contributes to changes in the species composition of weeds [28], and to an increase in plant infection by fungal pathogens in soybean [6].…”

“…The Special Issue "Weed Ecology and New Approaches for Management" contains 14 original research articles and 1 review article covering topics related to the biology and damage of weeds, especially related to the health and yielding of crops and the biodiversity of segetal weeds, as well as integrated methods of weed control and herbicide resistance. It includes articles related to the effects of tillage and management intensity on species diversity and weed abundance in winter cereals [4,5] and legumes e.g., soybean [6], pea [7] and lupine [7,8]. Several articles have shown that crop species and habitat conditions significantly affect the abundance and botanical composition of the associated flora (segetal weeds) [4,5,9].…”

“…Moreover, it was found that the effectiveness of the use of plant protection products in wheat cultivation depended on the cultivar [10]. Increasing the intensity of the production also affects the yields of lupine [8] and spelt wheat [10], as well as the health of soybean [6] and chamomile [11]. In perennial crops (willow), segetal weeds are the dominant flora, although with the age of the plantation their number decreases in favor of apophytes [12].…”