The Influence of Long-Term Different Crop Rotations and Monoculture on Weed Prevalence and Weed Seed Content in the Soil

Lina Marija Butkevičienė,Lina Skinulienė,Ingė Auželienė,Rita Pupalienė,Vaida Steponavičienė,Vaclovas Bogužas

doi:10.3390/agronomy11071367

Lina Marija Butkevičienė, Lina Skinulienė + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071367

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Abstract

Equally effective way to achieve sustainable farming and the challenge set by the European Commission on 20 May 2020: proper crop rotation and thus reduction of the quantity of on-farm chemicals. Long-term stationary field experiments were established in 1966 at Vytautas Magnus University Experimental Station (54°53′ N, 23°50′ E). The study was conducted with intensive, three-course, field rotation with row crops, for green manure crop rotations, and rye monoculture as well during the last 5-year period of a 50-year investigation to determine the effect of crop rotation combinations and rye monoculture on weed density and seed bank and grain yield. In cereal crops, weed counting was performed twice: weed density was determined before the application of herbicides, and weed counting was done before the harvest. Weed seedlings were counted, their botanical species were determined, annual and perennial weed number was estimated. Weed seed bank was established before primary tillage in soil. The results obtained confirmed the hypothesis that with climate change and intensive farming, long-term crop rotations are likely to increase crop productivity, reduce weeds and weed seed banks in the soil, and thus contribute to maintaining agroecosystem sustainability. The winter rye 1000 grain weight and yield decreases as weed mass increases showing strong negative correlations: y = 475.56 − 11.93x, r = −0.91, p ≤ 0.05; y = 82.97 −14.82x, r = −0.97, p ≤ 0.01. Reseeding of rye crops leads to a growing prevalence of weeds such as Equisetum arvense L. and Mentha arvensis. Crop structures these days are dominated by cereals, which inevitably increase the spread of weeds, and therefore, the importance of crop rotations increases in the context of intensive farming.

Highlights

Weeds are plants that grow in crops and stunt agricultural crops, reducing the yields and degrading their quality
Two to three times fewer weed seedlings were found in the three-course crop rotation compared to other crop rotations and 4.8 times less compared to the monoculture
Storing black fallow in a three-course crop rotation reduced the spread of perennial weeds

Summary

Introduction

Weeds are plants that grow in crops and stunt agricultural crops, reducing the yields and degrading their quality. Physical methods of weed control are generally less effective than herbicides, and successful control of weeds in crops often requires preventive tactics such as catch crops. They play a key role in increasing the efficiency of land use, weed control, improving environmental performance, and increasing economic profitability [13,14,15]. Winter rye (Secale cereale L.) is most effective at putting weeds into the shade compared to other Poaceae cereals They spread and strengthen at the end of autumn vegetation and cover the soil surface well. It is necessary to ensure sufficient nutrients, and to properly control the spread of Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski, mechanical interventions are needed [17]

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