Application of agricultural residues (residues of cover crops) in sustainable weed control

Fatemeh Ahmadnia¹ Ali Ebadi² Masoud Hashemi³ Akbar Ghavidel⁴ Mohammad Taghi Alebrahim⁵

1) Ph.D student crops physiology. Department of Agronomy and plant breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and natural resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2) Professor, Department of Agronomy and plant breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and natural resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
3) Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
4) Associate professor, Departeman soil science, Faculty of Agriculture and natural resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
5) Professor, Department of Agronomy and plant breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and natural resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

Publication : Green Management of Wastes and Biotechnology(gmbtuma.ir/2nd)
Abstract :
One of the most important agricultural wastes is the remains of crops and fodder left on the soil surface. Positive control of weeds by plant residues has been mentioned in many reviews. Experimental treatments include mixed cultivation of Sun hemp (Crotalaria juncea), Oats (Avena sativa), Daikon radish (Raphanus sativus var. Longipinnatus), Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum), Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). The results of this study showed that seven weeks after the date of planting the cover crops, the weeds decreased significantly (96.16%). While after the winter passed and 20 weeks passed, an increase of 74.86% in weeds was observed in the field. The results of this study indicated that with the reduction of the biomass of cover crops on the soil surface over time, the biomass of weeds increases.
Keywords : Mixed cropping Residue Sustainable agriculture