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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #207511
Title: WEED CONTROL IN CONSERVATION TILLAGE TOMATOES FOLLOWING HERBICIDE AND COVER CROP RESIDUE INTEGRATION

Author
item SAINI, MONIKA - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item Price, Andrew
item Kornecki, Ted
item CAYLOR, ARNOLD - AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/24/2007
Publication Date: 8/30/2007
Citation: Saini, M., Price, A.J., Kornecki, T.S., Caylor, A. 2007. Weed control in conservation tillage tomatoes following herbicide and cover crop residue integration. Proceeding of the Southern Weed Science Society. p. 155.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: An experiment was conducted in 2005 and 2006 at the North Alabama Horticulture Experiment Station located in Cullman, AL. A similar experiment was conducted in 2006 at George Washington Carver Agricultural Experiment Station of Tuskegee University at Tuskegee, AL. Three conservation-tillage systems utilizing crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), turnip (Brassica rapa L.), and rye (Secale cereale) as winter cover crops were compared to a conventional black polythene mulch system for weed control and tomato performance. All four systems were evaluated with and without herbicides. Herbicide treatments included a preemergence (PRE) application of metalochlor (1.87 kg a.i./ha) either alone or followed by an early postemergence (POST) metribuzin (0.56 kg a.i./ha) application and a late POST application of clethodim (0.28 kg a.i./ha). The covers were terminated two weeks prior to tomato transplanting with glyphosate applied at 1.12 kg a.e./ha. All covers were flattened with a mechanical roller/crimper prior to chemical termination. At Cullman in 2005, none of the three cover crops or the polythene mulch were sufficient in controlling weeds without herbicides. Plastic mulch with both PRE plus POST applications provided greater than 98% control of all weeds except yellow nutsedge (91%). When the post application was excluded, rye gave equal or comparable control to polythene mulch of all weeds except pokeweed, which was controlled only 63.5% in this case. In 2006, turnip and clover gave better control than 2005. Turnip controlled most of the weeds better than plastic mulch in all the systems except smooth pigweed when evaluated without any herbicides. In the same year, rye provided better control than the polythene mulch when evaluated without herbicides. For all the treatments evaluated in 2006, the POST application did not result in any significant increase in weed control compared to treatments having only preemergent applications. At Tuskegee, rye performed better than all other cover crop systems. Plastic mulch was insufficient in controlling most of the weeds at this location, both with and without herbicides.