Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T16:01:46.041Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Comparison of Conventional and Alternative Nursery Weed Management Strategies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

James B. Calkins  and
Bert T. Swanson
James B. Calkins
Affiliation:
Dept. Hort. Sci., Univ. Minn., St. Paul, MN 55108
Bert T. Swanson
Affiliation:
Dept. Hort. Sci., Univ. Minn., St. Paul, MN 55108
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Soil cultivation (3 to 5 times/yr) and herbicide management (oxadiazon, 3.92 kg ai/ha), agricultural standards for reducing weed competition, were compared to three alternative nursery field management systems regarding weed suppression: ‘Norcen’ bird's-foot trefoil companion crop, ‘Wheeler’ winter rye cover crop/mulch, and grass sod (80% ‘Eton’ perennial ryegrass and 20% ‘Ruby’ red fescue). Field management treatment had a significant effect on observed weed populations. Weed densities were also subject to yearly variations caused by climate and endogenous weed life cycles. Herbicide management (oxadiazon) consistently provided the best control of undesired vegetation (0.3 weeds/m2) followed by the grass sod (0.7 weeds/m2), Wheeler rye cover crop/mulch (1.7 weeds/m2), Norcen bird's-foot trefoil companion crop (8.6 weeds/m2), and cultivated (55.7 weeds/m2) treatments, respectively. Although the grass sod treatment provided excellent control of undesired vegetation, as an alternative to cultivation and herbicide use, it proved to be excessively competitive with the nursery crop. The bird's-foot trefoil treatment quickly became infested with broadleaf weeds the eradication of which proved difficult. The Wheeler winter rye cover crop/mulch field management system provided acceptable weed control combined with other beneficial effects on the plant/soil environment. Results support the effectiveness of Wheeler winter rye and perhaps other allelopathic cover crop/mulch systems in controlling undesired vegetation in horticultural field production systems.

Keywords

Oxadiazon, 3-[2,4-dichloro-5-(1-methylethoxy)phenyl]-5-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-onebird's-foot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus L. ‘Norcen’ # LOTCOperennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L. ‘Eton’ # LOLPEred fescue, Festuca rubra L. ‘Ruby’ # FESRUwinter rye, Secale cereale L. ‘Wheeler.’Alternative agriculturecompanion cropscover cropsliving mulchescultivationherbicide managementsustainable
Type
Research
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 761 - 767
Copyright
Copyright © 1995 by the Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

1. Barnes, J. P. 1981. Exploitation of rye (Secale cereale L.) and its residues for weed suppression in vegetable cropping systems. M.S. Thesis. Michigan State University. 128 p.Google Scholar
2. Barnes, J. P. and Putnam, A. R. 1983. Rye residues contribute weed suppression in no-tillage cropping systems. J. Chem. Ecol. 9:1045–1057.Google Scholar
3. Barnes, J. P. and Putnam, A. R. 1986. Evidence for allelopathy by residues and aqueous extracts of rye (Secale cereale). Weed Sci. 34:384–390.Google Scholar
4. Beeson, C. J. 1991. Saving the soil. Am. Nurseryman 173:52–57.Google Scholar
5. Calkins, J. B. 1991. Effects of conventional and alternative nursery field management systems on chemical and physical soil characteristics and on tree growth and development. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. 212 p.Google Scholar
6. Echtenkamp, G. W. and Moomaw, R. S. 1989. No-till corn production in a living mulch system. Weed Technol. 3:261–266.Google Scholar
7. Elmore, C. L., Asai, W. K., Hendricks, L. C., and Elkins, R. B. 1989. Plant composition of orchard floors. California Agric. 43(4):18–20.Google Scholar
8. Ghadiri, H. 1986. The risk of leaving the soil surface unprotected against falling rain. Soil Tillage Res. 8:119–130.Google Scholar
9. Hartwig, N. L. 1977. Nutsedge control in no-tillage corn with and without a crownvetch cover crop. Proc. Northeast. Weed Sci. Soc. 31:20–23.Google Scholar
10. Hill, R. G. 1962. The effect of sod as a soil management practice upon the growth and yield of peach. Ohio Agric. Exp. Sta. Res. Bul. 903. 35 p.Google Scholar
11. Johnson, C. B., Mannering, J. V., and Moldenhauer, W. C. 1979. Influence of surface roughness and clod size and stability on soil and water loss. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 43:772–777.Google Scholar
12. Ogg, A. 1982. Vegetation management in peach orchards. p. 44–50 in Workshop Proc. Crop Production Using Cover Crops and Sods as Living Mulches. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.Google Scholar
13. Putnam, A. R. 1986. Allelopathy: Can it be managed to benefit horticulture? p. 411–413 in Proc. Symp. Interplanting in Horticultural Cropping Systems. HortScience 21:387–418.Google Scholar
14. Putnam, A. R. 1990. Vegetable weed control with minimal herbicide inputs. p. 155–159 in Proc. Colloq. Sustainable Commercial Vegetable Production with Minimal Use of Synthetic Fertilizers and Pesticides. HortScience 25:153–171.Google Scholar
15. Putnam, A. R. and Duke, W. B. 1978. Allelopathy in agroecosystems. Ann. Rev. Phytopathol. 16:431–451.Google Scholar
16. Putnam, A. R. and DeFrank, J. 1983. Use of phytotoxic plant residues for selective weed control. Crop Prot. 2:173–181.Google Scholar
17. Smeda, R. J. and Putnam, A. R. 1988. Cover crop suppression of weeds and influence on strawberry yields. HortScience 23:132–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18. Whitcomb, C. E. and Roberts, E. C. 1973. Competition between established tree roots and newly seeded Kentucky bluegrass. Agron. J. 65:126–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19. Wischmeier, W. H. and Mannering, J. V. 1969. Relation of soil properties to its credibility. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 33:131–137.Google Scholar