The Influence of Different Crop Mulches on Weed Infestation, Soil Properties and Productivity of Wheat under Conventional and Conservation Production Systems

Abstract

Pakistan and other South Asian countries rely on wheat for human nutrition. However, wheat yield is declining in the region due to several biotic and abiotic constraints. Weeds are among the major factors responsible for yield decrease and farmers manage them by intensive tillage practices. Several studies have investigated the impact of various tillage practices on weed management in wheat. However, weed suppression abilities of different mulch types are rarely tested. This three-year (2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22) study investigated the impact of different mulch types (prepared from different crops) on weed infestation, soil properties and productivity of wheat under conventional and conservation production systems at three locations (Multan, Hafizabad and Faisalabad) in Punjab, Pakistan. The mulches included in the study were cotton sticks mulch, mungbean straw mulch, sorghum straw mulch, rice straw mulch, sunflower straw mulch, plastic mulch, and no mulch (as control). The production systems opted for wheat cultivation were conventionally tilled wheat (CTW), zero-tilled wheat (ZTW) and zero-tilled wheat sown with happy seeder machine (HSW). The CTW resulted in the lowest soil bulk density and the highest soil porosity after wheat harvest, while ZTW behaved oppositely. Similarly, incorporation of crop mulches resulted in the highest soil porosity and the lowest soil bulk density, while no-mulch incorporation and plastic mulch recorded the highest bulk density and the lowest soil porosity. Regarding mulches by production systems’ interaction, CTW with sorghum straw- and plastic mulches recorded the lowest weed density and biomass, while ZTW with no-mulch recorded the highest weed density and biomass at all locations. The CTW with mungbean straw- and plastic mulches resulted in the highest yield due to significant improvement in yield-related traits. However, ZTW with sorghum straw mulch and no-mulch resulted in the lowest wheat yield. Although sorghum straw mulch suppressed weed infestation, it negatively affected wheat growth. Economic analysis revealed that CTW with mungbean straw mulch resulted in the highest gross and net incomes and benefit:cost ratio (BCR), while the ZTW with rice straw- and sorghum straw mulches produced the lowest gross and net incomes and BCR at all locations. Therefore, mungbean straw mulch is a viable option to improve wheat productivity and net economic returns under different agro-climatic conditions of Punjab, Pakistan.

Weed infestation and productivity of wheat crop sown in various cropping systems under conventional and conservation tillage

“…Therefore, weed-crop competition for nutrient and water uptake is decreased ( Chassot and Richner, 2002 ). Similar findings were reported by Minhas et al. (2022) that CT resulted in higher yield and related traits of wheat crop.…”

“…Overall, conventional tillage (CT) resulted in less dense and more porous soil, whereas ZT exerted opposite effect in this regard ( Table 3 ). Since ZT leads to soil compaction and CT causes soil aeration, tillage methods are responsible for the observed differences in soil physical properties ( Naeem et al., 2021c ; Minhas et al., 2022 ). Yu et al.…”

“…The differences among tillage systems regarding weed infestation are owed to seed burial and disturbance caused to the seeds in the uppermost soil layer. Minhas et al. (2022) recently revealed that CT reduced weed density and biomass compared to ZT.…”

Geotemperatura, flujo neto de calor del suelo y variables morfológicas del cultivo de soya (Glycine max L.) bajo condiciones de mulch plástico

“…En esta variable se pudo evidenciar que se encontraron diferencias significativas (p < 0,05) entre los tratamientos, donde se obtuvo mayor altura de planta, expresada en cm, en todos los tratamientos con cobertura plástica, siendo los tratamientos T3 (112,71), T4 (111,37) y T1 (107,66) los que mayor promedio registraron durante todas las etapas evaluadas, mientras que el T0 (91,92) fue el tratamiento que menor promedio de altura de planta presentó a lo largo del experimento, pero estos valores refieren a la etapa R1 (Tabla 3). Lo obtenido concuerda con el estudio realizado por Minhas et al (2022) en cultivo de trigo en donde se observó la mayor altura de planta en el tratamiento con cobertura plástica. De igual forma, estos resultados coincidieron con Kader et al (2017a) quienes concluyeron que la altura de planta en el cultivo de soya es mayor en los tratamientos con coberturas plásticas frente al suelo desnudo, debido a que se produce un mayor aprovechamiento de la humedad mediante la extracción de agua de las capas más profundas del suelo.…”