Abstract
Vegetables are a substantial part of our lives and possess great commercial and nutritional value. Weeds not only decrease vegetable yield but also reduce their quality. Non-chemical weed control is important both for the organic production of vegetables and achieving ecologically sustainable weed management. Estimates have shown that the yield of vegetables may be decreased by 45%–95% in the case of weed–vegetable competition. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is desired for several reasons. For example, there are greater chances of contamination of vegetables by herbicide residue compared to cereals or pulse crops. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is also needed due to environmental pollution, the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds and a strong desire for organic vegetable cultivation. Although there are several ways to control weeds without the use of herbicides, cover crops are an attractive choice because these have a number of additional benefits (such as soil and water conservation) along with the provision of satisfactory and sustainable weed control. Several cover crops are available that may provide excellent weed control in vegetable production systems. Cover crops such as rye, vetch, or Brassicaceae plants can suppress weeds in rotations, including vegetables crops such as tomato, cabbage, or pumpkin. Growers should also consider the negative effects of using cover crops for weed control, such as the negative allelopathic effects of some cover crop residues on the main vegetable crop.
Highlights
Several production problems diminish the quality and yield of vegetables
Growers should consider the negative effects of using cover crops for weed control, such as the negative allelopathic effects of some cover crop residues on the main vegetable crop
The availability of non-chemical weed control methods along with weed control with herbicides will increase the likelihood of achieving sustainable weed control in vegetable production systems
Summary
Several production problems diminish the quality and yield of vegetables. Salinity, drought stress and climate changes are a few abiotic factors that decrease the yield of vegetables while the major biotic factors that reduce the yield include disease pathogens, insect pests, viruses, and weeds [1]. Cover crops can act as an alternative to tillage for controlling weeds and reducing yield losses caused by weeds [18]. Cover crops modify the microclimate of the companion crop by intercepting sun radiation, provide a habitat for beneficial biological agents, such as insects that prey on weeds or other detrimental insects, modify the energy of raindrops and play a role in the uniform distribution of precipitation in the soil Besides those features, cover crops may decrease erosion, conserve soil moisture, increase soil fertility and improve its structure. Cover crops such as fodder radish (Raphanus sativus L.), vetch (Vicia spp.), rye (Secale cereale L.) or their appropriate combinations can provide effective weed control in no-till organic crop production systems [23]. In this review paper, we have reviewed the literature to explain the yield losses caused by weeds in the vegetables, the need for non-chemical weed control in vegetables, the use of cover crops for weed control in vegetables and the disadvantages of the cover crops
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