Development of Stale Seedbed Weed Control Programs for Southern Row Crops

Abstract

Planting row crops into a stale seedbed has gained popularity in recent years. This concept uses tillage either after harvest in the fall or early in the spring to smooth the seedbed and eliminate ruts and excess residue on the soil surface. Tillage is not used immediately before planting, thus conserving moisture, eliminating costly and time-consuming tillage trips at planting, and allowing more timely planting. While stale seedbed planting minimizes tillage to establish the crop, conservation is not the primary objective of this concept; rather, timely stand establishment following adverse weather conditions has been the driving force behind the popularity of stale seedbed programs. The stale seedbed approach has been used with success on a variety of soils in the southern U.S., but is best suited on the poorly-drained clay soils in the Mississippi River Delta. The system has been adapted for use in soybean, cotton, corn, and rice. A key component of a well-prepared stale seedbed is the absence of weeds at planting. Producers must keep in mind that weeds present and not controlled at planting have the potential to significantly impair stand establishment and crop yields. Although these weeds are often beginning to senesce by the time soybean planting occurs, they are still using soil moisture and shading newly emerging crop plants early in the season.