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Agriculture
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Weeds in Diversified Cropping
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Weeds in Diversified Cropping

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 July 2021) | Viewed by 23673

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bärbel Gerowitt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Crop Health Group, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Satower Straße 48, 18059, Rostock, Germany
Interests: weeds; weed management; arable cropping; herbicide use; IPM; agri-environmental policies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues

The aim of diversifying agricultural cropping is to move from crop monocultures on large areas to plant stands that are more diverse in space and time. The background for this goal is to improve the agro-ecological management of agricultural systems, to offer food and shelter for wildlife, and to serve public interests in a vital and colored, hence diversified, landscape.

The decisions of professional land users like farmers, gardeners, and wine-growers have impacts on vast areas of agricultural landscapes—their short- to medium-term decisions within the cropping system alter the contribution of each field, orchard, or vineyard to a diversified landscape.

Agriculturists have options in the choice of cropped plants. Cash crops include all plants managed by land users and cropped for commercial output. Ecosystem services on cropped areas include the provision of flowers and seeds, the offer of shelter, the interim storage of nutrients, and the prevention of erosion. Cash crops and plants cropped for ecosystem services rather than for harvest and export from the field can be mixed in stands, alternating in space or separated in central parts and surrounding strips.

This issue is dedicated to the role of weeds in cropping which is altered in one or several of these approaches to diversification.

Weeds, as spontaneous plants in cropped sites, can be both an integral part of the diversification strategy and a constraint for the management of the site. Agriculturists have contradictory feelings on weeds, valuing their free services but fearing their increase and future problems. The same counts for public interest in diversified cropping, valuing weeds as a benefit and add-on versus a sign of neglect.

The effects of weeds in diversified cropping needs better understanding, including environmental conditions and field management practices as they directly or indirectly impact diversification goals. Cropping system conditions, soil fertility, fertilization, irrigation, pest control, the possibility for the use of the crop, and the effects of weeds on following crops can be addressed. Studies from a producer, consumer, or public stakeholder perspective about perceptions, interest, and marketing of products from diversified cropping including weeds are most welcome. 

This Special Issue focuses on the role of weeds in cropping. Crop stands are either diversified with other crops or with companion plants; both can be mixed on various spatial scales. Major emphasis is on the double-sided effect of weeds—pro biodiversity, con productivity. This issue will lead to studies embracing disciplines ranging from agronomy, horticulture, viticulture, botany, and ecology to landscape ecology and socio-economics. All types of articles, such as original research and reviews, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Bärbel Gerowitt
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • companion plants
  • ecosystem services
  • intercropping
  • mixed cropping wild plant mixtures
  • marketing
  • strip cropping
  • weed management
  • weed services
  • weed damage
  • trade-offs

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

13 pages, 1095 KiB  
Article
Weed Densities in Perennial Flower Mixtures Cropped for Greater Arable Biodiversity
by Laura Tamms, Friederike de Mol, Michael Glemnitz and Bärbel Gerowitt
Agriculture 2021, 11(6), 501; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agriculture11060501 - 28 May 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2577
Abstract
The cropping of perennial wildflower mixtures to produce biomass for use in biogas plants is one option for breaking maize’s dominance as a bioenergy feedstock. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of weeds in commercially produced perennial wildflower mixtures. [...] Read more.
The cropping of perennial wildflower mixtures to produce biomass for use in biogas plants is one option for breaking maize’s dominance as a bioenergy feedstock. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of weeds in commercially produced perennial wildflower mixtures. Weed control during the establishment of perennial wildflower mixtures is very difficult to manage and raises the issue of the development of new weed problems when cropping perennial wildflower mixtures. In a three-year field experiment with staggered starts in four sites in northeast Germany, a perennial crop mixture was sown each year. The weeds and sown crops were surveyed annually in June. Plant densities and species numbers were counted and diversity indices calculated. Data were analysed using linear mixed models. Across all sites, weed density decreased significantly over the years of use (=cropping seasons), while weed species richness in the perennial mixture remained unchanged. The sown crop species richness significantly decreased, while the sown crop densities increased with cropping seasons. Weed density did not increase at any of the experimental sites. Although weed densities were high and crop establishment was poor in the first growing seasons, the perennial mix was able to suppress weeds in the following growing season. It was concluded that the cropping of perennial flower mixtures could contribute to biodiversity without causing new weed problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weeds in Diversified Cropping)
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17 pages, 6699 KiB  
Article
Weed Species Trait Selection as Shaped by Region and Crop Diversity in Organically Managed Spring Cereals
by Merel A. J. Hofmeijer, Bo Melander, Jukka Salonen, Anneli Lundkvist, Livija Zarina and Bärbel Gerowitt
Agriculture 2021, 11(5), 433; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agriculture11050433 - 11 May 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2328
Abstract
Weeds remain a challenge in organic arable farming, as well as supply ecosystem services. The aim is to control weed densities while hosting a diverse and manageable weed community, preventing domination of few deleterious species. Therefore, we want to understand how specific species [...] Read more.
Weeds remain a challenge in organic arable farming, as well as supply ecosystem services. The aim is to control weed densities while hosting a diverse and manageable weed community, preventing domination of few deleterious species. Therefore, we want to understand how specific species are stimulated, and which traits are selected for. This study focuses on crop diversity hypothesizing that (1) regions and (2) crop diversity function as filters for specific weed species traits. We conducted a weed monitoring in spring cereals over 2 years on organic farms in five northern European regions. Management and weed trait variables collected for the occurring species allowed an RLQ fourth-corner analysis. The weed communities were regionally specific, but trait selection was not observed, except in Latvia. Hence, the regional species pool provided different species with similar traits. Crop diversity within the management of spring cereals, such as undersowing and cereal frequency in the rotation, affected weed traits. The number of years under organic production selected no traits, although species numbers are known to increase. Hence, general weed species diversity increased, irrespective of traits. We conclude that organic management may support the agility within the weed community against selection of species and act as a buffer rather than as filter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weeds in Diversified Cropping)
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13 pages, 1164 KiB  
Article
The Method and Timing of Weed Control Affect the Productivity of Intercropped Maize (Zea mays L.) and Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
by Sabine Andert
Agriculture 2021, 11(5), 380; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agriculture11050380 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3608
Abstract
Intercropping results in high overall system productivity on a given piece of land due to the efficient use of available plant growth resources. Weed control in intercropping systems is, however, still a challenge. This study focuses on the effect of the type of [...] Read more.
Intercropping results in high overall system productivity on a given piece of land due to the efficient use of available plant growth resources. Weed control in intercropping systems is, however, still a challenge. This study focuses on the effect of the type of weed control (chemical/mechanical) and the timing of chemical herbicide application (pre-emergence/post-emergence) on weed control and crop productivity in a maize bean mixture. For this purpose, the results of a three-year field experiment (2017 to 2019) in northeast Germany will be presented. The experimental setup included a control, three chemical methods, and one mechanical method of weed control. Except for the mechanical treatment, a completely randomized block design was established. Weeds were assessed at BBCH 12 of the maize, immediately before the first weed control treatments to estimate the initial weed infestation, and twice in the six to eight leaf stage of the maize. The weed coverage (%) was estimated. The maize bean mixture was harvested and yields (t ha−1) were measured. The results confirm that the type of weed control, as well as the timing of herbicide application, significantly affects the weed coverage of the maize bean mixture. The most successful weed control strategy was the double chemical herbicide application, in which chemical herbicides are in used pre-emergence beans (BBCH 12 maize) and post-emergence beans (BBCH 12 bean). Weed coverage was reduced by up to 75% using this most effective herbicide strategy and by up to 61% through mechanical weed control, compared to the control. The additional effects of post-emergence treatment on the pre-emergence herbicide control resulted in a 16.5% weed coverage decline. The yield surplus of double chemical herbicide application (pre/post-emergence) was up to 53%, and for the mechanical weed control up to 23%. Additionally, post-emergence herbicide use in intercropped maize and bean resulted in a 16% yield surplus, compared to the single pre-emergence chemical weed control. Optimal timing of weed control during the most sensitive phenology stages of the maize bean mixture is crucial for productivity. The results of this study provide an additional option for suitable weed control of intercropped maize and bean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weeds in Diversified Cropping)
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Review

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17 pages, 1223 KiB  
Review
Crop Diversification for Improved Weed Management: A Review
by Gourav Sharma, Swati Shrestha, Sudip Kunwar and Te-Ming Tseng
Agriculture 2021, 11(5), 461; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agriculture11050461 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 9447
Abstract
Weeds are among the major constraints to any crop production system, reducing productivity and profitability. Herbicides are among the most effective methods to control weeds, and reliance on herbicides for weed control has increased significantly with the advent of herbicide-resistant crops. Unfortunately, over-reliance [...] Read more.
Weeds are among the major constraints to any crop production system, reducing productivity and profitability. Herbicides are among the most effective methods to control weeds, and reliance on herbicides for weed control has increased significantly with the advent of herbicide-resistant crops. Unfortunately, over-reliance on herbicides leads to environmental-health issues and herbicide-resistant weeds, causing human health and ecological concerns. Crop diversification can help manage weeds sustainably in major crop production systems. It acts as an organizing principle under which technological innovations and ecological insights can be combined to manage weeds sustainably. Diversified cropping can be defined as the conscious inclusion of functional biodiversity at temporal and/or spatial levels to improve the productivity and stability of ecosystem services. Crop diversification helps to reduce weed density by negatively impacting weed seed germination and weed growth. Additionally, diversified farming systems are more resilient to climate change than monoculture systems and provide better crop yield. However, there are a few challenges to adopting a diversified cropping system, ranging from technology innovations, government policies, farm-level decisions, climate change, and market conditions. In this review, we discuss how crop diversification supports sustainable weed management, the challenges associated with it, and the future of weed management with respect to the diversification concept. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weeds in Diversified Cropping)
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Other

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15 pages, 1383 KiB  
Case Report
Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations
by Barbara Baraibar, Charles M. White, Mitchell C. Hunter, Denise M. Finney, Mary E. Barbercheck, Jason P. Kaye, William S. Curran, Jess Bunchek and David A. Mortensen
Agriculture 2021, 11(3), 193; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agriculture11030193 - 26 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4166
Abstract
Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the [...] Read more.
Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the role of cover cropping is to supplement ecosystem service provisioning, we were interested in assessing the impacts of weeds on such provisioning. To our knowledge, no research has examined how weeds in cover crops may impact the provision of ecosystem services and disservices. Here, we review services and disservices associated with weeds in annual agroecosystems and present two case studies from the United States to illustrate how weeds growing in fall-planted cover crops can provide ground cover, decrease potential soil losses, and effectively manage nitrogen. We argue that in certain circumstances, weeds in cover crops can enhance ecosystem service provisioning. In other circumstances, such as in the case of herbicide-resistant weeds, cover crops should be managed to limit weed biomass and fecundity. Based on our case studies and review of the current literature, we conclude that the extent to which weeds should be allowed to grow in a cover crop is largely context-dependent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weeds in Diversified Cropping)
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