Effect of soil tillage in the dark on weediness of barley
1998
Kuht, J. | Ries, M. (Estonian Agricultural Univ., Tartu (Estonia). Dept. of Field Crop Husbandry)
In 1997 an experiment was made to investigate the effect of soil tillage in the dark of quantity and weight of weeds in the barley field. The light sensitive pigment phytochrome has been shown to be a significant factor in regulating the light responses of weed seeds. Germination of weeds and other early successional species usually requires light but it is inhibited by far-red light or in dark. Cultivation of the soil influences on the exposure of seeds to light. The conditions for germination are met near the surface of bare soil where light levels are high. A common weed control technique is to bring buried seeds to the surface with tillage. On the basis of research the following conclusion can be drawn: Pre- sowing soil tillage in the dark diminished the numbers of weeds by 17 per cent, the dryweight by 52 per cent and the weight of one plant 43 per cent compared to soil tillage in the daytime. The greatest positive effect of soil tillage in the dark on weeds was observed in case of Matricaria inodora, which made 43,3...55,8 per cent of all weeds. A soil tillage in the dark requires no extra costs, it's greatly advisable to use this method as an essential part of Integrated Pest Management system
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