Effects of Conservative Tillage and Nitrogen Management on Weed Seed Bank after a Seven-Year Durum Wheat-Faba Bean Rotation.

Mariano Fracchiolla,Salem Alhajj Ali,Luigi Tedone,Anna Stellacci,Giuseppe De Mastro,Eugenio Cazzato

doi:10.3390/plants7040082

Mariano Fracchiolla, Salem Alhajj Ali + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/plants7040082

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Abstract

Conservative agriculture includes a range of management strategies with low energy inputs such as no-tillage, minimum tillage, and low application of fertilizers. Weed flora in arable fields is strictly affected by agronomic practices such as tillage and fertilization management. This study was conducted seven years after the beginning of a long-term—durum wheat–faba bean—rotation. It analyzes the combined effects on the soil seed bank of three different tillage systems (conservative, reduced, and conventional tillage) and two levels of nitrogen fertilization. The effects were investigated both using stepwise discriminant analysis and analysis of variance in order to find statistical differences among main factors and their interactions. The seed bank of Conyza canadensis, Papaver rhoeas, Solanum nigrum, Fallopia convolvulus, and Fumaria officinalis was higher in conservative or reduced tillage plots. The magnitude of the response to nitrogen supply varied among weed species. Conyza canadensis seemed to be favored by low nitrogen supply, whereas Sinapis arvensis by higher doses of nitrogen. Anagallis arvensis showed the lowest seed bank in conventionally tilled plots, without distinction of nitrogen supply. The results suggest that different tillage systems and, to a lesser extent, different nitrogen supply, produce changes in the seed bank size and composition, along the soil profile.

Highlights

IntroductionConservation agriculture has gained popularity in many agriculture systems all over the world
Conservation agriculture has gained popularity in many agriculture systems all over the world.It is defined by FAO as an “approach to managing agro-ecosystems for improved and sustained productivity, increased profits and food security while preserving and enhancing the resource base and the environment” [1]
The total number of seeds emerging in autumn/winter was higher in SS than in Conventional Tillage (CT) plots; for these species, the number of seeds m−1 was higher in the plots fertilized with 90 kg ha−1 of N

Summary

Introduction

Conservation agriculture has gained popularity in many agriculture systems all over the world. It is defined by FAO as an “approach to managing agro-ecosystems for improved and sustained productivity, increased profits and food security while preserving and enhancing the resource base and the environment” [1]. Conservation agriculture promotes, mainly, minimal soil disturbance and low application of chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, reduction of energy inputs. In the same way as for tillage, nitrogen applications need to be rationally managed because N affects environmental performance of agriculture practices by increasing the emissions of greenhouse gases [3] and the risk of groundwater contamination. N coming from agricultural systems is biologically active in soil and water or chemically active in atmosphere; it can be detrimental for biological diversity, air, and water [4]

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