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Title: WEED POPULATION SHIFTS IN RESPONSE TO CONSERVATION TILLAGE

Author
item Buhler, Douglas - Doug

Submitted to: North Central Weed Science Society US Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/7/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Species composition and population densities of weed communities of arable land reflect agronomic practices. The trend toward reducing tillage in corn and soybean production changes the environment where weeds are managed, survive, and reproduce. The shift from tillage systems that include extensive annual soil disturbance to systems that minimize soil disturbance will cause major changes in weed population dynamics. These changes often reduce the effectiveness of weed control practices. Reduced herbicide efficacy has slowed adoption of conservation tillage because many conservation tillage systems rely heavily on herbicides for weed management. Poor understanding of weed population dynamics and lack of suitable control alternatives often result in increased herbicide use in conservation tillage systems. While results have varied among experiments, some general trends in weed population dynamics have arisen as tillage is reduced. These include increased populations of perennial, summer annual grass, biennial, and winter annual species. Densities of large-seeded dicot species often decrease. The ecological and management aspects of these changes are varied and complex. Effective, economical, and environmentally-sound weed management in conservation tillage systems will require integration of new information with established principles of weed management. New management systems and control technologies are needed to develop integrated weed management systems for the altered ecosystems created by conservation tillage production systems. A more complete review of weed biology and management in conservation tillage was recently published in Crop Science (1995) 35:1247-1258.