Investigating of the Ability of some Cover Crops to Weeds Control

Subject Areas : Journal of Crop Ecophysiology

Leyli Nabati Souha ¹ (M.Sc. Student, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran)
Mohammad Taghi Alebrahim ² (Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran)
Fatemeh Ahmadnia ³ (Ph.D. Student, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran)
Majid Rostami Yangjeh ⁴ (M.Sc. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran)

Received: 2020-05-27 Accepted : 2020-05-27 Published : 2021-06-22

Keywords: Density, Weed control, Residues, Leguminous, Sampling time,

Abstract :

To investigate the effect of some cover crops incontroling weed, two experiments were conducted during the fall of 2018 at Namin in Ardabil province both with three replications.The first experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design using four speacies of winter cover crops consisting of Rye (Secale cereal L.), Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), Chickling pea (Lathyrus sativa L.) and Hungarian vetch (Vicia panonica L.). The second experiment was conducted in a factorial design, based on randomized complete blocks with two sampling times: (before the end of cover crops growth (when the cover crops were green) and 40 days after the end of cover crops growth (when the cover crops were not green). The results showed that the highest total weed density was related to Hairy vetch and Chickling pea treatments (30.5 and 27 plant per square meter, respectively) and lowest weed density to Rye and Hungarian vetch treatments (17.5 and 22 plant per square meter) respectively. The results also showed that the highest total weed density was recooded from the second sampling time (30.33 plant per square meter) and the lowest total weed density (18.16 plant per square meter) was obtained from the first time of sampling. The highest levels of Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indices were related to the clusters of Hairy vetch, Chickling pea and Hungarian vetch.  Rye and Hungarian vetch cover crops, and the first sampling time (presence of green cover crops) were the most suitable types of cover crops and sampling times to reduce weed density. It can be inferred that there is a parallel relationship between plant biomass (establishment, overwintering and regrowth of cover crops) and weed density and dry biomass. Thus, with increasing biomass of cover crops, the density and biomass of weeds would decrease.

References:

· Ahmadnia, F., A. Ebadi, M. Hashemi, and A. Ghavidel. 2020. Investigating the short time effect of cover crops on biophysical properties of soil. Journal of Water and Soil Conservation. 26(6):277-290. (In Persian).
· Ahmadvand, G., and S. Hajinia. 2015. The effect of cover crop and different tillage systems on soil physical properties and yield of potato escijournals. Electronic Journal of Crop Production. 8(4): 163-182. (In Persian).
· Alebrahim, M.T., R. Zangoueinejad, and T.M. Tseng. 2017. Biochemical and molecular knowledge about developing herbicide-resistant weeds. Herbicide resistance in weeds and crops. 101-132.
· Azad Shahraki, F., H. Naghavi, and H. Najafi Nejad. 2010. Effects of tillage systems and wheat residue management on soil characteristics and yield of maize in Kerman. Journal of Modern Agriculture. 8(19): 2-9. (In Persian).
· Babaei Ghaghelestany, A., A. Tobeh, and M.T. Alebrahim. 2016. Study of the role of cover crops on weed management and yield and its forage maize (Zea mays L.) components. Journal of Agroecology. 5(2): 64-74. (In Persian).
· Bazoubandi, M., M.H. Nik Khah, M. Nabavi Kalat, and M. Akhavan. 2009. Survey of weed diversity in sugar beet fields on the outskirts of Shahroud. Iranian Weed Science Conference, Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran. (In Persian).
· Cabrera, D.C., S. Chaila, M.T. Sobrero, and A.E. Varela. 2019. Phytosociological survey of sugarcane crop weeds in different agroecological areas in Tucumán Province, Argentina. [On-line] Planta Daninha. 37: 1-10, e019179380. Epub May 06, 2019. ISSN 1806-9681.
· Doane, T.A., W.R. Horwath, J.P. Mitchell, J. Jackson, G. Miyao, and K. Brittan. 2009. Nitrogen supply from fertilizer and legume cover crop in the transition to no-tillage for irrigated row crops. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 85: 253-262.
· Gabriel, J.L., and M. Quemada. 2011. Replacing bare fallow with cover crops in a maize cropping system: Yield, N uptake and fertilizer fate. European Journal of Agronomy. 34(3):133-143.
· Ghafari, M., G. Ahmadvand, M. Ardakani, I. Nadali, and F. Elahipanah. 2011. Effect of cover crops of rye, barley and rapeseed in two planting density on biomass, density and biodiversity of winter weeds. Journal of Crop Ecophysiology. 3(1):1-8. (In Persian).
· Ghorbani, R., M.H. Rashed Mohassel, S.A. Hosseini, S.K. Mousavi, and K. Hajmohammadian Ghalibaf. 2009. Sustainable weed management. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Press. pp.924. (In Persian).
· Jabran, K. 2017. Manipulation of allelopathic crops for weed control. Springer Briefs in plant Science, Springer Nature International Publishing, AG, Switzerland. 87pp.
· Jabran, K., G. Mahajan, V. Sardana, and B.S. Chauhan. 2015. Allelopathy for weed control in agricultural systems. Crop Protection. 72: 57–65.
· Jahedi Turk, A. 2018. Weed control of potato fields using green manure in autumn plants. Journal of Applied Potato Sciences. 1(1): 41-45. (In Persian).
· Karbalaei Khiavi, H., R. Fakhari, M.T. Alebrahim, and P. Sharifi Ziveh. 2016. The effect of winter rye (Secale cereale L.) as a cover crop on weed biomass, density and yield of forage maize (Zea mays L.). Journal of Agroecology. 7(1): 140-154. (In Persian).
· Koocheki, A., B. Kamkar, M. Jami Alahmadi, A. Mahdavi Damghani, M. Farsi, P. Rezvan, and A. Barzegar. 2006. Agricultural biodiversity. University of Mashhad Press, Mashhad. (In Persian)
· Kruidhof, H.M., L. Bastiaans, and M.J. Kropff. 2008. Ecological weed management by cover cropping: effects on weed growth in autumn and weed establishment in spring. Weed Research. 48: 492- 502.
· Lamei, J., and K.H. Alizadeh. 2012. Vicia panonica: A suitable cover crop for winter fallow in cold regions of Iran. Plant stress. 6(1): 73-76.
· Lawley, Y.E., J.R. Teasdale, and R.R. Weil. 2012. The mechanism for weed suppression by a forage radish cover crop. Agronomy Journal. 104: 205–214.
· Lemessa, F., and M. Wakjira. 2015. Cover crops as a means of ecological weed management in agroecosystems. Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology. 18(2): 123-135.
· Majidi, M.R., B. Mirshekari, B. Samedani, H. Hajinajari, and F. Farahvash. 2018. Effect of four cover crop species on weed control and population changes in Karaj region. Iranian Journal of Weed Science. 14(1): 11-22. (In Persian).
· Mohammadi, K.h., K. Nabiolahi, M. Alikhani, and F. Kharmali. 2009. Effects of tillage systems on soil physical properties and yield and yield components of wheat. Journal of Plant Production. 16(4):77-91. (In Persian).
· Naderi, R., and H. Ghadiri. 2015. Effects of manure, municipal waste compost and nitrogen on weed communities in corn (Zea mays). Iranian Journal of Agricultural Research. 34: 1-7. (In Persian).
· Najafi, M. 2014. Non-chemical methods of weed management. Pak Pendar Press, Karaj, Iran. 320 pp. (In Persian). 
· Ngouajio, M., and H. Mennan. 2005. Weed populations and pickling cucumber (Cucumis sativus) yield under summer and winter cover crop systems. Crop Protection. 24: 521–526.
· Noruzzadeh, S., R. Rashed Mohasel, M. Nassiri Mahallati, A. Koocheki, and M. Abbas-poor. 2009. Evaluation of species, functional and structural diversity of weeds in whear fields of Northern, Southern and Razavi Khorasan provinces. Iranian Journal Field Crop Research. 6: 471-485. (In Persian).
· Olson, K., S.A. Ebelhar, and J.M. Lang. 2014. Long-term effects of cover crops on crop yields, soil organic carbon stocks and sequestration. Open Journal of Soil Science. 4(8): 284- 292.
· Rostami Yangjeh, M., M. Alebrahim, F. Ahmadnia, and L. Nabati Souha. 2021. The Effect of Winter Cover Crops on Plant Density, Biomass of Weeds and Potato Yield (Solanum tuberosum L.). Journal of Crop Ecophysiology. 14(56(4)): 587-604. (In Persian).
· Schonbeck, M. 2005. Cover cropping: On-farm, Solar-powered Soil Building. Virginia Association for Biological Farming Information Sheet.
· Shannon, C.E., and A. Weaner. 1949. The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press. 350 pp.
· Simpson, E.H. 1949. Measurement of diversity. Nature. 12:1-20.
· Sturm, D.J., G. Peteinatos, and R. Gerhards. 2018. Contribution of allopathic effects to the overall weed suppression by different cover crops. Weed Research. 58(5):331-337.
· Uchino, H., K. Iwama, Y. Jitsuyama, K. Ichiyama, E. Sugiura, T. Yudate, S. Nakamura, and J. Gopal. 2012. Effect of inter seeding cover crops and fertilization on weed suppression under an organic and rotational cropping system. Field Crops Research. 127:9-16.
· Upadhyaya, M.K., and R.E. Blackshaw. 2007. Non-chemical weed management: Principles, Concepts and Technology. CAB. 240pp.

Ziveh, P.S., A. Tobeh, A. Gholipouri, M.T. Alebrahim, and B. Samedani. 2019. Assessing two winter cover crops for weed control in reduced-tillage maize establishment. Fresenius Environmental Bulltein. 28(11 A): 8642-8648.