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Advancing cover cropping in temperate integrated weed management
Author(s) -
Gerhards Roland,
Schappert Alexandra
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
pest management science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.296
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1526-4998
pISSN - 1526-498X
DOI - 10.1002/ps.5639
Subject(s) - allelopathy , cover crop , weed , weed control , agronomy , crop rotation , competition (biology) , agroforestry , temperate climate , crop , biology , environmental science , ecology , germination
The effects of cover crops on weeds and the underlying mechanisms of competition, physical control and allelopathy are not fully understood. Current knowledge reveals great potential for using cover crops as a preventive method in integrated weed management. Cover crops are able to suppress 70–95% of weeds and volunteer crops in the fall‐to‐spring period between two main crops. In addition, cover crop residues can reduce weed emergence during early development of the following cash crop by presenting a physical barrier and releasing allelopathic compounds into the soil solution. Therefore, cover crops can partly replace the weed suppressive function of stubble‐tillage operations and non‐selective chemical weed control in the fall‐to‐spring season. This review describes methods to quantify the competitive and allelopathic effects of cover crops. Insight obtained through such analysis is useful for mixing competitive and allelopathic cover crop species with maximal total weed suppression ability. It seems that cover crops produce and release more allelochemicals when plants are exposed to stress or physical damage. Avena strigose , for example, showed stronger weed suppression under dry conditions than during a moist autumn. These findings raise the question of whether allelopathy can be induced artificially. © 2019 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.