Browsing by Subject "kevätvilja"

Weed management is a challenge in organic agriculture and consequently investigation for developing mechanical weed control methods is needed. The aim is to decrease competition between weeds and crop to prevent reduction of the crop yield. Weed control aims at preventing seedbank of the weeds increasing in the fields and weed pressure in the future as well. The effect of the different weed harrowing methods for crop yield and controlling annual weeds in the spring cereal fields were examined in the Mustiala farm as a part of the project “Luomussa vara parempi” for three years. The weed harrowing methods were single post emergence harrowing and combination of pre-emergence and post emergence harrowing. Different weed harrowing treatments were compared with each other and the untreated control treatment. Pre-emergence harrowing was carried out after sowing before emerging of the crop and post emergence harrowing at 2–4 leaf stage of the crop. The most abundant annual weed species was fat hen (Chenopodium album L.) and number of other weed species were proved to be minor during the years of the field experiment. Therefore, the effects of the weed harrowing treatments were concentrated to examine for fat hen. The occurence of fat hen was assessed three times from the experimental plots: before post emergence weed harrowing treatments, after weed harrowing treatments and before harvest. Biomasses of fat hen and yields of the crop were determined in August. Combination of pre-emergence and post emergence harrowing was proved to be the most effective and reliable treatment. Fat hen was controlled substantially by single post emergence harrowing as well. None of the weed harrowing treatments affected significantly crop yield. The smallest crop yield was in the experimental plots of the combination treatment where soil compaction was the greatest due to the weed harrowing. The infestation of fat hen was most effectively decreased by a combination of pre-emergence and post emergence harrowing as well as single post emergence treatment during the next successive years of cereals. Annual reductions in the number of weeds could reduce the yield of the crop in the long term.