Herbicide-soil interactions in reduced tillage and plant residue management systems

Abstract

Recent changes in technology, governmental regulation and scrutiny, and public opinion have motivated the agricultural community to examine current management practices from the perspective of how they fit into a sustainable agricultural framework. One aspect which can be incorporated into many existing farming systems is plant residue management (e.g., reduced tillage, cover crops). Many residue management systems are designed to enhance accumulation of plant residue at the soil surface. The plant residue covering the soil surface provides many benefits, including protection from soil erosion, soil moisture conservation by acting as a barrier against evaporation, improved soil tilth, and inhibition of weed emergence. This review summarizes recent literature (ca. last 25 yr) concerning the effects of plant residue management on the soil environment and how those changes impact herbicide interactions.

Effects of weed control and fertilization on soil carbon and nutrient pools in an exotic pine plantation of subtropical Australia

“…Other studies have also found that herbicide applications have the potential to reduce C and N cycling as a result of decreased residues returned to the soil and the reduction of the quality of those residues (Vitousek et al 1982;Locke and Bryson 1997). In addition to the weed biomass, each treatment also had a layer of pine needle litter and woody biomass which would also be a significant contributor to the nutrient recycling.…”

Comparative fate of an organochlorine, chlordecone, and a related compound, chlordecone-5b-hydro, in soils and plants

“…Although no simple explanation was found, this strongly suggests that, as observed elsewhere, a range of environmental conditions and agricultural practices play a role, including soil fine characteristics (pH, cationic exchange capacity, organic content, organic matter quality, clays, etc.) (Bedmar et al, 2011), tillage practices, which affect pesticide sorption in soil (Lichtenstein and Schulz, 1961;Locke and Bryson, 1997) or irrigation and fertilization, which have been shown to reduce DDT residues in the soil (Boul et al, 1994). 3.2.…”

Adsorption and mobility of glyphosate in different soils under no-till and conventional tillage

“…In soils under conventional tillage (CT), macropores are generally destroyed, and only the intraagregate space is preserved (Mapa et al, 1986). In no-till (NT) systems the formation of continuous macropores is promoted (Locke and Bryson, 1997), allowing the preferential flow of water and chemical substances to groundwater levels (Harris et al, 1993;Kamau et al, 1996;Ogden et al, 1999). In some cases, NT can increase the organic matter (OM) content, which in return promotes the retention of certain pesticides (Levanon et al, 1994;Novak et al, 1996).…”