Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T02:52:13.200Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Weeds, nitrogen and yield: measuring the effectiveness of an organic cover cropped vegetable no-till system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

David Robb ,
Geoff Zehnder ,
Robin Kloot ,
William Bridges  and
Dara Park
David Robb*
Affiliation:
Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
Geoff Zehnder
Affiliation:
Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
Robin Kloot
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
William Bridges
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
Dara Park
Affiliation:
Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
*
Author for correspondence: David Robb, E-mail: drobb@clemson.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Organic vegetable growers rely heavily on mechanical methods such as tillage and other forms of labor-intensive soil cultivation for weed management despite the negative effects to soil health associated with intensive soil disturbance. The use of cover crops and no-till (NT) vegetable production represents an alternative approach to weed control that can enhance rather than degrade soil health; however, there are challenges inherent with this practice and previous results in vegetable production have been mixed. Field experiments were conducted over 2 yr at the Clemson Student Organic Farm to examine the effects of tillage [NT versus conventional tillage (CT)] on weed development and management in organic tomato and summer squash production under different nitrogen (N) fertility regimes, and to assess soil N dynamics in both systems. Squash yields were similar between tillage treatments in both years. NT tomato yields were 43% greater than CT yields in 2014, whereas CT tomato yields were 46% greater than NT yields in 2015. Squash and tomato yields per unit of management labor (time) were significantly greater in NT compared with CT treatments for both years. There were no statistical differences in squash and tomato yields between N fertilization treatments in either year. Pre- and post-season soil N results were mixed. Pre-season soil N levels were significantly higher in NT tomato plots in 2014 but similar between tillage treatments in tomato plots in 2015 and in squash plots both years. Post-season soil N levels in tomato plots were similar between tillage treatments both years. Post-season soil N levels were significantly higher in NT squash plots in 2014 and in CT squash plots in 2015. Roller-crimped NT mulches provided adequate early-season weed suppression in both years and saved considerable weed management and seedbed preparation labor. Overall, the results demonstrated that organic NT is a viable method for reduced tillage summer vegetable production in the southeastern Piedmont region.

Keywords

Cover cropsorganic no-tillvegetablesweed management
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 34 , Issue 5 , October 2019 , pp. 439 - 446
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdul-Baki, A, Stommel, J, Watada, A, Teasdale, J and Morse, R (1996) Hairy vetch mulch favorably impacts yield of processing tomato. HortScience 31, 340.Google Scholar
Ashford, DL and Reeves, DW (2003) Use of a mechanical roller crimper alternative kill method for cover crops. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18, 37–45.Google Scholar
Bachi, P and Seebold, K (2008) Southern Blight. Plant Pathology Fact Sheet PPFS-VG-03. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.Google Scholar
Brady, NC and Weil, RR (2008) The Nature and Properties of Soil, Revised 14th edn., Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson Education Inc.Google Scholar
Campbell, RC (2000) Sufficiency ranges for plant analysis in the southern region of the United States. Southern Cooperative Series Bulletin #394. Available at http://www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/saaesd/scsb394.pdf.Google Scholar
Clark, AJ, Decker, AM and Meisinger, JJ (1994) Seeding rate and kill date effects on hairy vetch—cereal rye cover crop mixtures for corn production. Agronomy Journal 86, 1065–1070.Google Scholar
Creamer, NG and Dabney, SM (2002) Killing cover crops mechanically: review of recent literature and assessment of new research results. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 17, 32–40.Google Scholar
Creamer, NG, Bennett, MA and Stinner, BR (1997) Evaluation of cover crop mixtures for use in vegetable production systems. HortScience 32, 866–870.Google Scholar
Delate, K, Cwach, D and Chase, C (2012) Organic no-tillage system effects on soybean, corn and irrigated tomato production and economic performance in Iowa, USA. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27, 49–59.Google Scholar
Diaz-Perez, J, Silvoy, J, Phatak, S, Ruberson, J and Morse, R (2008) Effect of winter cover crops and no-till on the yield of organically grown bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). ActaHortic. 767, 25. Proceedings of the XXVII International Horticulture Conference-S11: Sustainability through Integration and Organic Horticulture. Editors in Chief R.K. Prange and S.D. Bishop. ActaHortic 767, 243–248.Google Scholar
Duzy, LM, Kornecki, TS, Balkcom, KS and Arriaga, FJ 2014. Net returns and risks for cover crop use in Alabama tomato production. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 29, 334–344.Google Scholar
Haney, RL (2017) Soil Health Tool (SHT) version 4.4: an integrated approach to soil testing. Available at http://www.farmfoundation.org/news/articlefiles/1880-Soil%20Health%20Tool%20Explanation%20ver%204.3.pdf.Google Scholar
Haney, RL, Brinton, WH and Evans, E (2008) Estimating soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization from short-term carbon dioxide respiration. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 39, 2706–2720.Google Scholar
Leavitt, MJ, Sheaffer, CC, Wyse, DL and Allan, DL (2011) Rolled winter rye and hairy vetch cover crops lower weed density but reduce vegetable yields in no-tillage organic production. HortScience 46, 387–395.Google Scholar
Madden, NM, Mitchell, JP, Lanini, WT, Cahn, MD, Herrero, EV, Park, S, Temple, SR and Van Horn, M (2004) Evaluation of conservation tillage and cover crop systems for organic processing tomato production. HortTechnology 14, 243–250.Google Scholar
Mirsky, SB, Curran, WS, Mortensen, DA, Ryan, MR and Shumway, DL (2009) Control of cereal rye with a roller/crimper as influenced by cover crop phenology. Agronomy Journal 101, 1589–1596.Google Scholar
Mirsky, SB, Ryan, MR, Teasdale, JR, Curran, WS, Regerg-Horton, CS, Spargo, JT, Wells, MS, Keene, CL and Moyer, JW (2013) Overcoming weed management challenges in cover crop-based organic rotational no-till soybean production in the eastern United States. Weed Technology 27, 193–203.Google Scholar
Mischler, RA, Curran, WS, Duiker, SW and Hyde, JA (2010) Use of a rolled-rye cover crop for weed suppression in no-till soybeans. Weed Technology 24, 253–261.Google Scholar
Mohler, CL and Teasdale, JR (1993) Response of weed emergence to rate of Vicia villosa Roth and Secale cereale L. Residue. Weed Research 33, 487–499.Google Scholar
Morse, R and Creamer, N (2006) Developing no-tillage systems without chemicals: The best of both worlds? In Kristiansen, P, Taji, A and Reganold, J (eds). Organic Agriculture: A Global Perspective. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Publication Associates, pp. 83–91.Google Scholar
Newenhouse, A (2010) Growing Fresh Market Tomatoes. University of Wisconsin Extension Publication A3904-02. Available at https://datcp.wi.gov/Documents/mk_fc_80_web.pdf.Google Scholar
Riemens, M, Groeneveld, R, Lotz, L and Kropff, M (2007) Effects of three management strategies on the seedbank, emergence and the need for hand weeding in an organic system. Weed Research 47, 442–451.Google Scholar
Salon, PR (2012) Diverse cover crop mixes for good soil health. USDA NRCS. www.hort.cornell.edu/expo/proceedings/2012/Cover%20Crops/Cover%20Crops%20Salon.pdf.Google Scholar
Schonbeck, MW and Morse, RD (2007) Reduced tillage and cover cropping systems for organic vegetable production. Virginia Association of Biological Farming Info Sheet, 9-07. Available at http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/SARE-Project-Products/Southern-SARE-Project-Products/Reduced-Tillage-and-Cover-Cropping-Systems-for-Organic-Vegetable-Production.Google Scholar
Schulten, HR and Leinweber, P (2000) New insights into organic–mineral particles: composition, properties and models of molecular structure. Biology and Fertility of Soils 30, 399–432.Google Scholar
Sooby, J, Landeck, J and Lipson, M (2007) 2007 National Organic Research Agenda. Santa Cruz, CA: Organic Farming Research Foundation. Available at http://ofrf.org/sites/ofrf.org/files/docs/pdf/nora2007.pdf.Google Scholar
Teasdale, JR and Mohler, CL (1993) Light transmittance, soil temperature, and soil moisture under residue of hairy vetch and rye. Agronomy Journal 85, 673–680.Google Scholar
Teasdale, JR and Mohler, CL (2000) The quantitative relationship between weed emergence and the physical properties of mulches. Weed Science 48, 385–392.Google Scholar
USDA (1997). United States Standards for Grades of Tomatoes. Effective 1 October 1991. Washington, DC: USDA-AMS.Google Scholar
USDA (2016). United States Standards for Grades of Summer Squash. Effective 6 September 2016. Washington, DC: USDA-AMS.Google Scholar