Abstract
Over the last several decades, the intensive production of corn ( Zea mays L.) and soybeans ( Glycine max L.) in the United States has included the widespread use of herbicide-tolerant crops, contributing to soil management with reduced tillage. The continuous use of herbicides with the same modes of action has led to the accelerated development of herbicide resistance in weed populations, particularly from the Amaranthaceae family. Integrated weed management tools, such as the use of cover crops, have increasingly been recognized as cultural approaches with the potential to reduce herbicide-driven selection pressure. We utilized six multi-year (4–7 years) cover crop research trials in corn-based crop rotations to measure germinable weed seedbanks, aboveground weed density, and biomass. This included four on-farm and two university research experiments across eastern and central Nebraska, with histories of no tillage or reduced tillage. Three sites showed increases in Amaranthaceae family (pigweed) seedbank densities under cover crops (137%–355%) compared to the no cover crop check, but no differences in total weed seed bank densities were found. Cover crops reduced aboveground total weed density and biomass at the two sites; however, increases from the pigweed seedbank were not observed at any site. Multivariate analyses revealed that the species composition of the seedbanks under cover crops was distinct from that of the check at the two sites, suggesting that cover crops may influence weed seedbank composition over time. This work underscores the value of exploring integrated weed management, as well as monitoring weed populations in the soil seedbank and aboveground emerged species, particularly in cropping systems with reduced soil disturbance. We encourage more research on the multi-year use of integrated weed management approaches, such as cover crops, to better understand the complexity of how such approaches shift weed communities, especially with respect to herbicide-resistant weeds.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops increased Amaranthaceae (pigweed) seedbank densities by 137%–355% compared with the no cover crop check at three sites.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- cover cropse2
- Interactor
- pigweede2weed
- Outcome
- Amaranthaceae family (pigweed) seedbank densitiese2
- Direction
- increasese2
- Value
- 137%–355%e2
- Comparator
- no cover crop checke2
- Setting
- eastern and central Nebraskae1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in limited tillage corn”
e1“This included four on-farm and two university research experiments across eastern and central Nebraska”
e2“Three sites showed increases in Amaranthaceae family (pigweed) seedbank densities under cover crops (137%–355%) compared to the no cover crop check, but no differences in total weed seed bank densities were found”
Claim · model-written summary
Total weed seedbank densities did not differ between cover crop and no cover crop check plots.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- cover cropse2
- Interactor
- weede2weed
- Outcome
- total weed seed bank densitiese2
- Direction
- no differencese2
- Comparator
- no cover crop checke2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in limited tillage corn”
e2“Three sites showed increases in Amaranthaceae family (pigweed) seedbank densities under cover crops (137%–355%) compared to the no cover crop check, but no differences in total weed seed bank densities were found”
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops reduced aboveground total weed density and biomass at two sites.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Cover cropse3
- Interactor
- weede3weed
- Outcome
- aboveground total weed density and biomasse3
- Direction
- reducede3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in limited tillage corn”
e3“Cover crops reduced aboveground total weed density and biomass at the two sites; however, increases from the pigweed seedbank were not observed at any site”
Claim · model-written summary
Increases from the pigweed seedbank were not observed at any site under cover crops.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Cover cropse3
- Interactor
- pigweede3weed
- Outcome
- increases from the pigweed seedbanke3
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in limited tillage corn”
e3“Cover crops reduced aboveground total weed density and biomass at the two sites; however, increases from the pigweed seedbank were not observed at any site”
Claim · model-written summary
Under cover crops, the seedbank species composition was distinct from the check at two sites and may influence weed seedbank composition over time.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- under cover cropse4
- Interactor
- weede4weed
- Outcome
- species composition of the seedbankse4
- Direction
- distincte4
- Qualifier
- may influence weed seedbank composition over timee4
- Comparator
- the checke4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in limited tillage corn”
e4“Multivariate analyses revealed that the species composition of the seedbanks under cover crops was distinct from that of the check at the two sites, suggesting that cover crops may influence weed seedbank composition over time”
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