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Conservation Management and Crop Rotation Effects on Weed Populations in a 12-Year Irrigated Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Robert E. Blackshaw ,
Drusilla C. Pearson ,
Francis J. Larney ,
Peter J. Regitnig ,
Jennifer J. Nitschelm  and
Newton Z. Lupwayi
Robert E. Blackshaw*
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1
Drusilla C. Pearson
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1
Francis J. Larney
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1
Peter J. Regitnig
Affiliation:
Lantic Inc., 5405 64th Street, Taber, Alberta, Canada T1G 2C4
Jennifer J. Nitschelm
Affiliation:
Lantic Inc., 5405 64th Street, Taber, Alberta, Canada T1G 2C4
Newton Z. Lupwayi
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: robert.blackshaw@agr.gc.ca.
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Abstract

Potato, dry bean, and sugar beet production have increased markedly in recent years on irrigated cropland in Alberta, Canada. Concerns exist about declining soil quality and increased soil erosion when these low-residue crops are grown in sequence in short-duration rotations. A 12-yr rotation study was conducted to determine the merits of adopting various conservation practices (reduced tillage, cover crops, composted manure) and longer-duration rotations to develop a more sustainable production system for these row crops. This article reports on weed density and weed seedbank data collected in the study. Weed densities recorded prior to applying postemergence herbicides indicated that conservation compared with conventional management treatments had greater weed densities in 30 to 45% of the cases in 3-, 4-, and 5-yr rotations. In contrast, a 6-yr conservation rotation that included 2 yr of timothy forage resulted in similar or lower weed densities than rotations with conventional management practices. Residual weed densities recorded 4 wk after applying postemergence herbicides were only greater in conservation than conventional rotations in 2 of 12 yr, regardless of rotation length. Weed seedbank densities at the conclusion of the 12-yr study were similar for 3- to 6-yr rotations under either conservation or conventional management. These findings indicate that implementing a suite of conservation practices poses little risk of increased weed populations in the long term. This knowledge will facilitate grower adoption of more sustainable agronomic practices for irrigated row crops in this region.

La producción de papa, frijol, y de remolacha azucarera ha incrementado en forma marcada en años recientes en zonas agrícolas con riego en Alberta, Canada. Existe preocupación acerca del deterioro de la calidad del suelo y el aumento de la erosión cuando este tipo de cultivos que dejan pocos residuos son producidos en secuencia en rotaciones de corta duración. Un estudio de rotación de 12 años fue realizado para determinar los méritos de la adopción de varias prácticas de conservación (labranza reducida, cultivos de cobertura, estiércol compostado) y rotaciones de mayor duración para desarrollar un sistema de producción más sostenible para estos cultivos. Este artículo reporta los datos colectados de densidad de malezas y banco de semillas en este estudio. Las densidades de malezas registradas antes de aplicar herbicidas postemergentes indicaron que los tratamientos de conservación al compararse con los de manejo convencional tuvieron mayores densidades de malezas en 30 a 45% de los casos, en rotaciones de 3, 4, y 5 años. En contraste, una rotación de conservación de 6 años que incluyó 2 años del forraje Phleum pratense resultó en densidades de malezas similares o menores a las prácticas de manejo convencional. Las densidades de malezas residuales registradas 4 semanas después de la aplicación de herbicidas postemergentes fueron mayores en rotaciones de conservación que en rotaciones convencionales solamente en 2 de los 12 años, sin importar la duración de la rotación. Las densidades del banco de semillas al momento de la conclusión del estudio de 12 años fueron similares para las rotaciones de 3 y 6 años bajo cualquiera de los manejos de conservación o convencionales. Estos resultados indican que el implementar una variedad de prácticas de conservación representa poco riesgo de aumentos en las poblaciones de malezas en el largo plazo. Este conocimiento facilitará la adopción por parte de los productores de más prácticas agronómicas sostenibles para cultivos con riego en esta región.

Keywords

Dry bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L.oat, Avena sativa L.potato, Solanum tuberosum L.rye, Secale cereale L.sugar beet, Beta vulgaris L.timothy, Phleum pratense L.wheat, Triticum aestivum L.Compost manurecover cropreduced tillagesoil conservationweed densityweed diversityweed seedbank
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 835 - 843
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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Footnotes

Current address: Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, 5401 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1J 4V6.

Associate Editor for this paper: Randy L. Anderson, USDA-ARS.

References

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