Effects of weed control intensity in field crops | Effets de l'intensite du desherbage en grandes cultures
2007
Vullioud, P. | Delabays, N.,Station de recherche Agroscope Changins-Waedenswil ACW, Nyon (Switzerland)
A long term experiment has taken place from 1978 to 2001 at Changins aiming to test two different weed control intensities on two crop rotation types, one containing 75% cereal and one with only 40% cereal. The integrated weed control system allows 35% herbicide saving versus only chemical weed control. Up to about 30% of soil covering by weeds may be accepted without significant crop yield reduction. In matter of weed control costs the difference between chemical and integrated can reach 30%, corresponding to 110 to 140 CHF/ha/year depending on the crop rotation type. Carrying out mechanical weed control can encounter some difficulties on heavy, loamy or clay soils, especially in oil seed rape and cereal crops. In these situations its efficiency can drop down to zero. Intensive soil tillage for hoed crops, especially potatoes and sugar beets, has a negative influence on earth worm population in comparison to a crop rotation with high amount of cereal. Intensive use of herbicides on cereal crops leads to a significant reduction of earth worm population and biomass.
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