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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #277295
Title: Cover crop residue and organic mulches provide weed control during limited-input no-till collard production

Author
item Price, Andrew
item MULVANEY, MICHAEL - Virginia Polytechnic Institution & State University
item WOOD, C - Auburn University

Submitted to: Proceedings of Southern Weed Science Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2012
Publication Date: 2/15/2012
Citation: Price, A.J., Mulvaney, M.J., Wood, C.W. 2012. Cover crop residue and organic mulches provide weed control during limited-input no-till collard production. Proceedings of Southern Weed Science Society. CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Limited input producers may adopt no-till production if sufficient weed suppression can be achieved. High-biomass producing cover crops used in conjunction with organic mulches may provide sufficient weed control in no-till vegetable production. Our objective was to quantify weed suppression from a forage soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cv. Derry summer cover crop and three types of organic mulches applied after collard (Brassica oleracea L.) planting. Forage soybean residue did not suppress weeds, but mulches were generally effective. Broadleaf and sedge weeds decreased in population densityover the three-year period, but grass weed management remained problematic until three years after conversion to no-till. Grass suppression was greater when mulches were applied after the first year. Collard yield, averaging 17,863 kg ha-1, was not affected by any cover crop or mulch treatment. Mulching with mimosa (Albizia julibrissin Durazz.), lespedeza [Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don] and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw at 6.7 Mg ha-1 provided a reasonable level of grass weed control under continuous no-till. Although collard crop yields were not affected by application of various organic residues in the first three years of the no-till system, application of organic residues should improve soil quality over time.