Abstract
Abstract Background: Thermal weed control is a viable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly emerging alternative to highly challenged and unsustainable chemical weed control. Objective: To find out the most suitable pre-sowing soil solarization durations for effective weed control and soil fertility enhancement in sesame crop. Methods: A field study was conducted during the summer season of 2016 and 2017. Different soil solarization treatments were applied, including 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks before sowing (WBS) of sesame by spreading transparent polythene sheets. Results: The temperatures of solarized soil at 10 cm depth were 8-10 oC more than the control. The soil NPK and organic matter contents were gradually increased with increasing solarization durations. The highest soil nitrogen (0.71%), phosphorus (9.63 ppm), K (166.2 ppm), and organic matter content (1.12%) were observed with the longest soil solarization for 12 WBS. Different solarization durations provided 23 to 64% weed control efficiency and up to a 34% rise in sesame yield. Conclusions: Based on the current findings, soil solarization for 12 WBS by polythene sheets is an effective alternative to the chemical weed control method with additional positive effects on soil fertility and sesame yield.
Highlights
Chemical weed control, the most common weed control method worldwide, has become unsustainable due to increasing herbicide resistance and environmental concerns of herbicide use
0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks before sowing (WBS) of sesame by spreading by polythene sheets is an effective alternative to the chemical weed control transparent polythene sheets
Scientists are searching for alternate weed management strategies to provide sustainable and eco-friendly weed control in different crops
Summary
The most common weed control method worldwide, has become unsustainable due to increasing herbicide resistance and environmental concerns of herbicide use. Solarization is a non-chemical process of heating the soil using polythene sheets that reduce weeds’ population by decaying soil weed bank and killing weeds seedlings, and some other soil-borne pests (Stapleton and DeVay, 1986). It is more effective in warmer parts of the world and is used on a restricted but rising scale (Arbopleya, 2009; Stapleton et al, 2000). Thermal weed control is a viable, cost- Results: The temperatures of solarized soil at 10 cm depth were 8-10 oC effective, and eco-friendly emerging alternative to highly challenged and more than the control.
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