Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield
There is a renewed interest, especially among organic growers, in using either white sweetclover (Melilotus alba Desr.) or yellow sweetclover [M. officinalis (L.) Lam.] as cover crops. Sweetclover cultivars and tillage practices have changed since these crops were widely used as cover crops in the f...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Plant Science |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2007
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjps06054 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/CJPS06054 |
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crcansciencepubl:10.4141/cjps06054 2024-06-23T07:50:45+00:00 Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield Moyer, J. R. Blackshaw, R. E. Huang, H. C. 2007 http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjps06054 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/CJPS06054 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Plant Science volume 87, issue 4, page 973-983 ISSN 0008-4220 1918-1833 journal-article 2007 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.4141/cjps06054 2024-05-30T08:13:47Z There is a renewed interest, especially among organic growers, in using either white sweetclover (Melilotus alba Desr.) or yellow sweetclover [M. officinalis (L.) Lam.] as cover crops. Sweetclover cultivars and tillage practices have changed since these crops were widely used as cover crops in the first half of the 20th century. Experiments were initiated in 1999, 2000, and 2002 to compare the effect of high- and low-coumarin cultivars and crop termination methods on weed suppression, available soil N, moisture conservation and following crop yield. Weed suppression was usually more effective when sweetclover residues were left on the surface than when removed as hay. Sweetclover termination at 70% bloom was often more effective in suppressing weeds than termination at the bud stage. In the summer and fall after termination, surface residues of Yukon, a high-coumarin and drought-tolerant cultivar, reduced lamb’s-quarters (Chenopodium album L.) density by > 80% compared with the no sweetclover check and essentially eliminated flixweed [Descurainia Sophia (L). Webb]. In the following spring, Yukon reduced kochia [Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.] density by > 80% and wild oat (Avena fatua L.) biomass by > 30% compared with the no sweetclover check. There was no difference in available N for a following crop between treatments with surface residue and cultivated fallow. Available soil moisture was about 10 mm less after the highest yielding sweetclover cultivars than after cultivated fallow, but subsequent wheat yield was not reduced. Maximum wheat yields were obtained after Yukon and Arctic sweetclover were grown as cover crops. It may be possible for organic growers to manage weeds with sweetclover in a reduced tillage system that leaves most of the plant residues on the soil surface. Key words: Cover crop, weed suppression, allelopathy, nitrogen, soil moisture Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Yukon Canadian Science Publishing Arctic Webb ENVELOPE(146.867,146.867,-67.867,-67.867) Yukon Canadian Journal of Plant Science 87 4 973 983 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Canadian Science Publishing |
op_collection_id |
crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
description |
There is a renewed interest, especially among organic growers, in using either white sweetclover (Melilotus alba Desr.) or yellow sweetclover [M. officinalis (L.) Lam.] as cover crops. Sweetclover cultivars and tillage practices have changed since these crops were widely used as cover crops in the first half of the 20th century. Experiments were initiated in 1999, 2000, and 2002 to compare the effect of high- and low-coumarin cultivars and crop termination methods on weed suppression, available soil N, moisture conservation and following crop yield. Weed suppression was usually more effective when sweetclover residues were left on the surface than when removed as hay. Sweetclover termination at 70% bloom was often more effective in suppressing weeds than termination at the bud stage. In the summer and fall after termination, surface residues of Yukon, a high-coumarin and drought-tolerant cultivar, reduced lamb’s-quarters (Chenopodium album L.) density by > 80% compared with the no sweetclover check and essentially eliminated flixweed [Descurainia Sophia (L). Webb]. In the following spring, Yukon reduced kochia [Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.] density by > 80% and wild oat (Avena fatua L.) biomass by > 30% compared with the no sweetclover check. There was no difference in available N for a following crop between treatments with surface residue and cultivated fallow. Available soil moisture was about 10 mm less after the highest yielding sweetclover cultivars than after cultivated fallow, but subsequent wheat yield was not reduced. Maximum wheat yields were obtained after Yukon and Arctic sweetclover were grown as cover crops. It may be possible for organic growers to manage weeds with sweetclover in a reduced tillage system that leaves most of the plant residues on the soil surface. Key words: Cover crop, weed suppression, allelopathy, nitrogen, soil moisture |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Moyer, J. R. Blackshaw, R. E. Huang, H. C. |
spellingShingle |
Moyer, J. R. Blackshaw, R. E. Huang, H. C. Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield |
author_facet |
Moyer, J. R. Blackshaw, R. E. Huang, H. C. |
author_sort |
Moyer, J. R. |
title |
Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield |
title_short |
Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield |
title_full |
Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield |
title_fullStr |
Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield |
title_sort |
effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjps06054 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/CJPS06054 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(146.867,146.867,-67.867,-67.867) |
geographic |
Arctic Webb Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Webb Yukon |
genre |
Arctic Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic Yukon |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Plant Science volume 87, issue 4, page 973-983 ISSN 0008-4220 1918-1833 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.4141/cjps06054 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Plant Science |
container_volume |
87 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
973 |
op_container_end_page |
983 |
_version_ |
1802641670236274688 |