Abstract
Harrowing is one of the most popular mechanical methods to control weeds. Nevertheless, the relationship between the effect of different harrowing intensities using spike-tooth harrow in barley-pea intercrop on the yield and mycoflora of grains has not yet been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of harrow intensity using spike-tooth harrow in barley-pea mixture on the mycological quality of harvested grains, grain yield, as well as influence of barley and pea grain moisture on the abundance of fungi. The field experiment was carried out during 2010–2012, and it was conducted using a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Weed control was mechanical and chemical. In this study, we have shown that harrowing in barley-pea intercrops does not reduce the yield of either mixture components, both with respect to grain quantity or mycological quality after harvest, compared to controls—without harrowing and the herbicide MCPA (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid). However, increasing the intensity of harrowing did not result in a consistently larger crop yield or reduction in fungal abundance in the grains. The grains’ internal structures and surface of both tested components of the mixture were colonized to a large extent by cosmopolitan fungi, of which Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl. was the most abundant.
Highlights
At the moment, opposite agricultural trends are being observed in the world
The same authors have reported that mechanical weed control using spring-tine harrow with different intensities does not increase colonization of barley and pea grains by microscopic fungi in mixed cropping of barley and pea
We show that the abundance of fungi inhabiting the inner layers of barley grains decreased in the case of some treatments (i.e., Z-2-1 and Z-2-2) compared to control and HT treatments
Summary
Opposite agricultural trends are being observed in the world. On the one hand, developing countries, especially those in tropical regions, are constantly increasing the use of pesticides in the agricultural sector, to become self-sufficient and exist in the global economy [1]. Many developed countries, especially those belonging to the European Union, contribute to reducing agrochemicals in agriculture and want to use integrated pest management techniques that minimize pesticide use [2,3]. It is not surprising that people living in developing countries are exposed to the negative effects of some pesticides [5]. The importance of this problem is reflected by the fact that pesticides contribute to death or cause chronic diseases in ~1 million people in the world every year [6].
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