Effect of Cereal Monoculture and Tillage Systems on Grain Yield and Weed Infestation of Winter Durum Wheat

Abstract

This experiment aimed at evaluating the yield and weed infestation of winter durum wheat grown in a multi-year cereal monoculture (CM) and crop rotation (CR) as well as in three tillage systems: (1) conventional tillage—CT, (2) reduced tillage—RT, and (3) no-tillage—NT. Shallow ploughing and pre-sowing ploughing were performed in the CT system; a cultivator and a cultivating set were used in the RT system, whereas glyphosate and a cultivating set were applied in the NT system. Grain yield was lower in CM than in CR (1.43 t ha−1 vs. 3.91 t ha−1) as well as in NT than in RT and CT systems. Grain yield and its components were determined to a greater extent by cropping systems (CS) than by tillage systems (TS). The number and air-dry weight of weeds per m2 were higher in CM than in CR, and also in RT than in NT and CT, and were found to be more affected by TS than by CS. At the tillering stage of wheat, more weed species occurred in CM than in CR, whereas at the stage of waxy maturity of wheat—in CR than in CM. Likewise, a higher number of weed species was identified in RT than in CT and NT systems.