The effect of the minimisation of autumn tillage on weediness and yield
2001
Lauringson, E. | Vipper, H. | Kuill, T. | Talgre, L. | Hirsnik, L. (Estonian Agricultural Univ., Tartu (Estonia). Dept. of Field Crop Husbandry)
The effect of agrotechnological techniques on soil properties, weed seedbank, weediness and crop yield were studied under rotation of cereals. The study was conducted in 1987-1997. Under cereal rotation, the possibilities of replacing autumn ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening to an equal depth were studied. The tillage depths used were 16-17 cm, 21-22 cm, 24-25 cm. In this experiment, the replacement of ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening did not result in a significant increase in weediness and soil weed seedbank when chemical weed control was applied. Under no herbicides, soil weed seedbank increased significantly when annual weeds with a large seed yield become prevalent. An increase in ploughing depth led to a decrease in soil weed seedbank, whereas different loosing depths has no obvious effect on soil weed seedbank. The use of the herbicide enabled the replacement of autumn ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening practically for the entire experimental period without any substantial increase in the pressure of weed plants on cereals. Under no herbicide, the replacement of autumn ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening led to an increase in the density and mass of annual and, in particular, perennial weeds, to the extent endangering crop yield. Prolonged replacement of ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening resulted in weeds consuming 57.7 per cent of the nutrients required for the formation of the aboveground mass of the plant community. Chemical weed control under stubble cultivator loosening reduced the average yield of the experimental years by 2.5 per cent; at the same time, loosening depth played no significant role. Shallow tillage under no chemical weed control reduced the yield by 6 per cent
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by Estonian University of Life Sciences