Assessing the Efficacy of Living and Dead Cover Crop Mixtures for Weed Suppression in Sweet Corn

Yurchak, Veronica L.; Leslie, Alan W.; Hooks, Cerruti R. R.

doi:10.3390/agronomy13030688

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…In the sweet corn field, the cover crops, including crimson clover, forage radish, and rye, suppressed weeds in all three studied years [196]. Crop development and yield were similar among CT, NT + cover crop residue, living mulch + cover crop residue, and living mulch + winter-killed residue in year 2.…”

Section: Othersmentioning

confidence: 83%

Conservation Tillage in Medicinal Plant Cultivation in China: What, Why, and How

Hao

Xiao

et al. 2023

Agronomy

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Ecological cultivation is a promising regime for medicinal plant production. For a long time, unreasonable farming methods have threatened soil health and medicinal agriculture and restricted the sustainable development of ecological agriculture for medicinal plants. However, there is a lack of comprehensive discourse and discussion about the pros and cons of different tillage regimes. Here, the research trend and application prospects of no-tillage (NT) are comprehensively reviewed, and the ecological benefits, challenges, and opportunities of the NT system in ecological agriculture of medicinal plants are scrutinized, aiming to call for an about-face in the sustainable conservation and utilization of both phytomedicine resources and agricultural/ecological resources. An exhaustive literature search in PubMed, Bing, Scopus, and CNKI was performed to outline the research trend in conservation tillage and medicinal plants during the recent four decades. The application of NT has a long history and can reduce tillage frequency and intensity and protect soil from erosion and deterioration. NT is often combined with organic mulch to significantly reduce soil disturbance. NT and stover mulching have the advantages of saving manpower and resources and improving soil quality, crop yield, and quality. The ecological and economic benefits of NT in long-term medicinal plant cultivation could be prominent. In developing medicinal plant cultivation, competing with food crops should be avoided as much as possible, and the impact on the production of major grain crops should be minimized. Therefore, the full utilization of soil resources in forests, mountains, and wasteland is advocated, and sustainable soil utilization is the core issue in the process of land reclamation. NT and stover mulching not only inherit the traditional concept of “natural farming”, conform to the basic laws of ecology, as well as the growth characteristics of medicinal plants, but also protect the ecological environment of the production area. It would become the core strategy of ecological agriculture for medicinal plants. Our summary and discussions would help propose countermeasures to popularize NT and organic mulch, promote relevant research and scientific allocation of resources, and adapt to local conditions to achieve precise management and harmonize conservation and production of medicinal plants.

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Section: Othersmentioning

confidence: 83%

Conservation Tillage in Medicinal Plant Cultivation in China: What, Why, and How

Hao

Xiao

et al. 2023

Agronomy

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“…Living mulches are often investigated for their ability to provide ecosystem services such as weed suppression and/or enhancing populations of arthropod natural enemies (Manandhar & Wright 2016;Kahl et al 2019;Bhaskar et al 2021;Bruce et al 2022;Yurchak et al 2023). Notwithstanding, flowering living mulches may also enhance floral visitor and potentially pollinator abundance through the provision of food.…”

Section: Butterfliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A living mulch is a cover crop interplanted with a cash crop that lives the entire duration of the cash crop cycle. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a flowering perennial that has been investigated as a living mulch for its ability to suppress weeds (Yurchak et al 2023), increase arthropod natural enemies (Kahl et al 2019), and fix nitrogen (Thilakarathna et al 2016), thus contributing to the improved sustainability of the farming system. However, red clover is also a preferred plant for foraging bumblebees (Bombus sp.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of flowering red clover on flower visitation in a sweet corn agroecosystem

Yurchak,

Espindola,

Hooks

2024

J Poll Ecol

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Agricultural intensification and the conversion of natural landscapes into annual cropping systems have contributed to declines in pollinator abundance and biodiversity. Increasing the abundance of flowering plants within crop fields is an often-overlooked practice that may be used to help sustain and enhance pollinator populations. In this study, the influence of red clover (Trifolium pratense) used as an interplanted living mulch on pollinator richness and visitation rates was evaluated and compared with monoculture sweet corn habitats. Treatments included sweet corn interplanted with red clover or monoculture with or without cover crop residue. Weekly visual observations of foraging floral visitors revealed that multiple species of bumblebees and butterflies, as well as honeybees frequently visited red clover flowers. Observations of visitors foraging on sweet corn tassels during pollen shed revealed distinct insect communities were attracted by sweet corn and red clover plants. Findings provided evidence that the inclusion of red clover in crop fields can increase the diversity and abundance of bees and butterflies on arable lands by serving as an important food source.

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“…The European Union takes the sustainability of pesticide use into serious account, and one of the main challenges of the EU Green Deal is the significant reduction in chemical control. Within this context, new and innovative approaches to weed management are highly necessary and widely studied [1,2]. This Special Issue is entitled 'The Future of Weed Science: Novel Approaches to Weed Management'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Future of Weed Science: Novel Approaches to Weed Management

Travlos,

Scavo,

Kanatas

2023

Agronomy

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Assessing the Efficacy of Living and Dead Cover Crop Mixtures for Weed Suppression in Sweet Corn

Cited by 6 publications

References 37 publications

Conservation Tillage in Medicinal Plant Cultivation in China: What, Why, and How

Conservation Tillage in Medicinal Plant Cultivation in China: What, Why, and How

Influence of flowering red clover on flower visitation in a sweet corn agroecosystem

The Future of Weed Science: Novel Approaches to Weed Management

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