Weed Seed Populations in Ridge and Conventional Tillage

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Weed seed and seedling populations, and weed competition were compared in plots of continuous corn and corn/soybean rotation under ridge and conventional tillage. After 7 to 8 yr of standard chemical and mechanical weed control, from 1500 to 3000 weed seeds/m2 (to a 10-cm depth) were found in continuous corn with ridge tillage whereas about two-thirds fewer seeds were found in conventionally tilled corn. Soil from a corn/soybean rotation had from 200 to 700 seeds/m2 in both tillage systems. Annual loss of weed seeds from the soil through germination was from 3 to 12% in ridge tillage and 11 to 43% in conventional tillage. Additions to the seed pool were supplied by small weeds whose germination was stimulated by “layby” cultivation, with up to 10 times more emergence and 140 times more seed production in ridge than in conventional tillage. Withholding herbicides for 1 yr reduced yields of continuous corn by 10 to 27% in ridge tillage, only 2 to 4% in conventional tillage, and negligibly in corn/soybean rotations regardless of tillage. Reducing seed production of small layby weeds in ridge tillage may aid in solving the weed problem in this conservation tillage system.