The Critical Period of Weed Control in Faba Bean and Chickpea in Mediterranean Areas

Abstract

Weeds are often the major biological constraint to growing legume crops successfully, and an understanding of the critical period of weed control (CPWC) is important for developing environmentally sustainable weed management practices to prevent unacceptable yield loss. Therefore, we carried out two field experiments to identify the CPWC for two grain legume crops traditionally grown in Mediterranean areas: chickpea and faba bean. The experiments were conducted at two sites both located in the Sicilian inland (Italy). In chickpea, when weeds were left to compete with the crop for the whole cycle, the grain yield reduction was on average about 85% of the weed-free yield, whereas in faba bean the reduction was less severe (on average about 60% of the weed-free yield). The onset of the CPWC at a 5% yield loss level varied by species, occurring later in faba bean than in chickpea (on average, 261 and 428 growing degree days after emergence for chickpea and faba bean, respectively). In both species, the end of the CPWC occurred at the early full-flowering stage when the canopy of each crop enclosed the interrow space. On the whole, the CPWC at a 5% yield loss level ranged from 50 to 69 d in chickpea and from 28 to 33 d in faba bean. The results highlight the fact that faba bean has a higher competitive ability against weeds than chickpea. This could be attributable both to more vigorous early growth and to the plant's greater height, both factors related to a greater shading ability and, consequently, to a better ability to suppress weeds.

Weed seedbank size and composition in a long‐term tillage and crop sequence experiment

“…The reduction in total weed seed density detected in W F compared with W W is difficult to explain. In fact, compared with wheat, faba bean has a sparser canopy (as a result of a greater row spacing) and a slower growth rate in the early stages of the crop cycle, both characteristics that favour the emergence and growth of weeds (Frenda et al ., ); moreover, during the faba bean growing season, weeds were controlled mechanically by shallow hoeing, which did not always guarantee an optimal result (Giambalvo et al ., ). Therefore, it seems that the negative aspects were widely counteracted by the positive effects of disturbance.…”

Performance of organic grain legumes in Tuscany

“…The number of weeds seems not to affect the yield of the field pea and field bean, which are in line with the yields expected. In fact, these crops are quite competitive against weeds and, in particular, the field bean has a minimum critical period of weed control (Frenda et al, 2013) and both field bean and pea have a great capacity of soil cover (Tavoletti et al, 2004). This aspect makes these crops particularly interesting for organic cultivation.…”

Comparação entre métodos para determinar o período anterior à interferência de plantas daninhas em feijoeiros com distintos tipos de hábitos de crescimento

“…Na cultura do feijão não é diferente: na quase sua totalidade, no período entre 2012 e 2013 foi utilizado o nível arbitrário de 5% de redução na produtividade (Ghamari & Ahmadvand, 2012;Parreira et al, 2012Parreira et al, , 2013Bressanin et al, 2013;Frenda et al, 2013). No Brasil, a análise econômica tem pouca demanda, mas gera muito interesse na atual conjuntura econômica.…”