Abstract
Abstract The development of production systems that provide the benefits of reduced tillage and also reduce or eliminate herbicide inputs presents a challenge to practitioners of sustainable agriculture. This research was conducted to evaluate management approaches for minimum-tillage corn production in a hairy vetch cover crop, specifically, mechanical versus herbicidal methods for pre-plant cover-crop kill and for post-emergence control of emerged weeds. Pre-plant treatments included 2,4-D [(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid] plus residual herbicides, 2,4-D alone, flail mower, corn stalk chopper, light disk and heavy disk. The pre-plant herbicide treatments were followed by a post-emergence treatment of dicamba, whereas the pre-plant mechanical treatments were followed by post-emergence cultivation, as needed, for weed control. The mechanical treatments that kept residue on the soil surface (mower, stalk chopper and light disk) killed hairy vetch when it was flowering, but not when vegetative. The herbicide treatment with pre-plant 2,4-D alone, followed by dicamba post-emergence, controlled annual broadleaf weeds (the dominant species in these experiments) similarly to treatment with 2,4-D plus residual herbicides, suggesting that residual herbicides may be eliminated in cover-crop-based no-tillage systems. The pre-plant mechanical treatments followed by cultivation did not control annual broadleaf weeds as well as herbicide treatments, but did maintain final populations below threshold levels in two of four experiments. The stalk chopper and light disk left high levels of vetch residue on the soil surface, and reduced initial broadleaf weed populations compared with the heavy disk that incorporated residue. However, broadleaf weed populations were reduced with less efficiency by cultivation of unfilled soil following the stalk chopper or light disk (38–69%) than by cultivation of tilled soil following the heavy disk (87–95%). Thus, although maintaining surface cover-crop residue without tillage initially reduced weed emergence, it also reduced the efficiency of cultivation, leading to similar final weed populations in all mechanical-based, pre-plant treatments.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Surface residue mechanical treatments killed flowering hairy vetch.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- mower, stalk chopper and light diske0
- Interactor
- hairy vetch
Vicia villosae0weed - Outcome
- killed hairy vetche0
- Qualifier
- when it was floweringe0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The mechanical treatments that kept residue on the soil surface (mower, stalk chopper and light disk) killed hairy vetch when it was flowering, but not when vegetative.”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Surface residue mechanical treatments did not kill vegetative hairy vetch.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- mower, stalk chopper and light diske0
- Interactor
- hairy vetchVicia villosae0weed
- Outcome
- not when vegetativee0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The mechanical treatments that kept residue on the soil surface (mower, stalk chopper and light disk) killed hairy vetch when it was flowering, but not when vegetative.”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
2,4-D alone then dicamba controlled annual broadleaf weeds similarly to 2,4-D plus residual herbicides.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- pre-plant 2,4-D alone, followed by dicamba post-emergencee0
- Interactor
- annual broadleaf weedse0weed
- Outcome
- annual broadleaf weedse0
- Direction
- similarlye0
- Comparator
- 2,4-D plus residual herbicidese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The herbicide treatment with pre-plant 2,4-D alone, followed by dicamba post-emergence, controlled annual broadleaf weeds (the dominant species in these experiments) similarly to treatment with 2,4-D plus residual herbicides”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Mechanical treatments with cultivation controlled annual broadleaf weeds less well than herbicides.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- pre-plant mechanical treatments followed by cultivatione0
- Interactor
- annual broadleaf weedse0weed
- Outcome
- annual broadleaf weedse0
- Direction
- did not control annual broadleaf weeds as welle0
- Comparator
- herbicide treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The pre-plant mechanical treatments followed by cultivation did not control annual broadleaf weeds as well as herbicide treatments”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Mechanical treatments kept final weed populations below threshold in two of four experiments.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Interactor
- annual broadleaf weedse1weed
- Outcome
- final populationse0
- Direction
- belowe0
- Value
- two of four experimentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“maintain final populations below threshold levels in two of four experiments”
e1“The pre-plant mechanical treatments followed by cultivation did not control annual broadleaf weeds as well as herbicide treatments, but did maintain final populations below threshold levels in two of four experiments.”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Stalk chopper and light disk left high surface vetch residue.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- stalk chopper and light diske0
- Outcome
- vetch residue on the soil surfacee0
- Direction
- high levelse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The stalk chopper and light disk left high levels of vetch residue on the soil surface”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Stalk chopper and light disk reduced initial broadleaf weed populations relative to heavy disk.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- stalk chopper and light diske1
- Interactor
- broadleaf weede0weed
- Outcome
- initial broadleaf weed populationse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- heavy diske0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“reduced initial broadleaf weed populations compared with the heavy disk that incorporated residue”
e1“The stalk chopper and light disk left high levels of vetch residue on the soil surface, and reduced initial broadleaf weed populations compared with the heavy disk that incorporated residue.”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Cultivation after stalk chopper or light disk reduced weeds by 38–69%.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- cultivation of unfilled soil following the stalk chopper or light diske0
- Interactor
- broadleaf weede1weed
- Outcome
- broadleaf weed populationse1
- Value
- 38–69%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cultivation of unfilled soil following the stalk chopper or light disk (38–69%)”
e1“However, broadleaf weed populations were reduced with less efficiency by cultivation of unfilled soil following the stalk chopper or light disk (38–69%) than by cultivation of tilled soil following the heavy disk (87–95%).”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Cultivation after heavy disk reduced weeds by 87–95%.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- cultivation of tilled soil following the heavy diske0
- Interactor
- broadleaf weede1weed
- Outcome
- broadleaf weed populationse1
- Value
- 87–95%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cultivation of tilled soil following the heavy disk (87–95%)”
e1“However, broadleaf weed populations were reduced with less efficiency by cultivation of unfilled soil following the stalk chopper or light disk (38–69%) than by cultivation of tilled soil following the heavy disk (87–95%).”
t0“corn production”
Claim · model-written summary
Final weed populations were similar across mechanical pre-plant treatments.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- final weed populationse0
- Direction
- similare0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“similar final weed populations in all mechanical-based, pre-plant treatments”
t0“corn production”
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