A Review of Non-Chemical Management of Couch Grass (<i>Elymus repens</i>)
2020
Björn Ringselle | Benny De Cauwer | Jukka Salonen | Josef Soukup
Couch grass (<i>Elymus repens</i>) is a morphologically diverse, rhizomatous, perennial grass that is a problematic weed in a wide range of crops. It is generally controlled by glyphosate or intensive tillage in the intercrop period, or selective herbicides in non-susceptible crops. The aim of this review is to determine the efficacy of non-chemical strategies for <i>E. repens</i> control. The review shows that indirect control measures like crop choice, subsidiary crops, and fertilizer regimes influence <i>E. repens</i> abundance, but usually cannot control <i>E. repens</i>. Defoliation (e.g., mowing) can control <i>E. repens</i> growth, but efficacy varies between clones, seasons, and defoliation frequencies. Tillage in the intercrop period is still the main direct non-chemical control method for <i>E. repens</i> and its efficacy can be increased, and negative side-effects minimized by an appropriate tillage strategy. Some new tillage implements are on the market (Kvik-up type machines) or under development (root/rhizome cutters). Alternative methods that can kill <i>E. repens</i> rhizomes (e.g., steaming, soil solarization, biofumigation, hot water, flooding) often have high costs or time requirements. More studies on the effect of cropping system approaches on <i>E. repens</i> and other perennial weeds are needed.
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