Tag Archives: spring and winter cereals

441-445 A. Velykis and A. Satkus
Influence of crop rotations and reduced tillage on weed population dynamics under Lithuania’s heavy soil conditions
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Influence of crop rotations and reduced tillage on weed population dynamics under Lithuania’s heavy soil conditions

A. Velykis and A. Satkus

Joniskelis Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Joniskelis, LT-3930,Pasvalys District, Lithuania; tel.fax.: 370-71-38224; e-mail: joniskelio_lzi@post.omnitel.net

Abstract:

Experiments to study the weed population dynamics in cereals, under conditions of expanded winter crop proportion in rotations and reduced soil tillage, were carried out on a clay loam Gleyic Cambisol at Joniskelis Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture. Variations were as follows: A. Crop rotations with different proportions of winter and spring crops: 1. Without winter crops; 2. Winter crops 25%; 3. Winter crops 50%; 4. Winter crops 75%; 5. Winter crops 100%, growing annual and perennial grasses, spring and winter wheat, triticale and barley; B. Soil primary tillage systems: 1. Conventional (ploughing). 2. Reduced (ploughing after grasses, ploughless after cereals) were investigated. The results of investigations show that increasing the proportion of winter crops in rotations during a four-year rotation resulted in reduction of perennial weeds in the cereal crops; however, the content of annual weeds was higher. The prevalent annual and perennial (14.7% of total number) weeds spread in spring cereals (wheat, triticale, barley) were more dangerous to crops than to the weed species found in winter cereals. Perennial weeds amounted to only 6.9% in winter cereals. The perennial weeds recorded in cereals were only 3.9-18.0% at the beginning of crop growing season, depending on crop rotation, however before crop harvest they reached 24.2−52.1%. When growing cereals with reduced soil tillage, the number of perennial weeds was 2.4 times higher; annual weeds, somewhat lower, and the air-dried biomass of all weeds was 44.5% higher compared to conventional tillage.

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