Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-qdpjg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-23T02:00:21.621Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Weed suppression in a broccoli–winter rye intercropping system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

D. C. Brainard  and
R. R. Bellinder
R. R. Bellinder
Affiliation:
Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Interseeded cover crops have the potential to maintain and improve soil quality, reduce the incidence of insect pests, and suppress weeds in vegetable production systems. However, the successful use of interseeded cover crops has been limited by their tendency to either inadequately suppress weeds or suppress both weeds and the crop. We hypothesized that in irrigated broccoli production, winter rye could suppress annual weeds through rapid emergence and shading, without adversely affecting the taller transplanted broccoli crop. In field experiments conducted in New York from 1999–2001, broccoli was cultivated at 0, 10, or 10 and 20 d after broccoli transplanting (DAT), with or without rye at the final cultivation. Rye interseeded at 0 DAT suppressed weeds and improved yields relative to unweeded controls but resulted in broccoli yield losses relative to weed-free controls in 2 of 3 years. Rye seeded at either 10 or 20 DAT did not reduce broccoli yields but had little effect on weeds for a given level of cultivation and resulted in Powell amaranth seed production of up to 28,000 seeds m−2. Rye interseeded at 0 DAT reduced light availability to weeds in 2000 but not in 2001 when Powell amaranth avoided shading from rye through rapid emergence and vertical growth. In greenhouse pot experiments, low temperatures for 7 d after seeding delayed the emergence of Powell amaranth by 3 d relative to rye and increased the suppression of Powell amaranth by rye from 61 to 85%. Our results suggest that winter rye may be more successfully integrated into broccoli production (1) when sown at higher densities, (2) in locations or seasons (e.g., spring) with lower initial temperatures, and (3) in combination with other weed management tools.

Keywords

Powell amaranth = green pigweed, Amaranthus powellii S. Wats. AMAPObroccoli, Brassica oleracea L. var. italica PLENCK ‘marathon’winter rye, Secale cereale L.Seed productionintercropinterseedsmother cropcompetitionshadehollow stem
Type
Weed Management
Information
Weed Science , Volume 52 , Issue 2 , April 2004 , pp. 281 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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

Literature Cited

Andow, D. A., Nicholson, A. G., Wien, H. C., and Willson, H. R. 1986. Insect populations on cabbage grown with living mulches. Env. Entomol 15:293–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ateh, C. M. and Doll, J. D. 1996. Spring-planted winter rye (Secale cereale) as a living mulch to control weeds in soybean (Glycine max). Weed Technol 10:347–353.Google Scholar
Bauer, T. A. and Mortensen, D. A. 1992. A comparison of economic and economic optimum thresholds for two annual weeds in soybeans. Weed Technol 6:228–235.Google Scholar
Blackshaw, R. E., Stobbe, E. H., Shaykewich, C. F., and Woodbury, W. 1981. Influence of soil temperature and soil moisture on green foxtail (Setaria viridis) establishment in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Weed Sci 29:179–184.Google Scholar
Brainard, D. C. 2002. Weed Management Implications of a Broccoli-Winter Rye Intercropping System. Ph.D. dissertation. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 136 p.Google Scholar
Brainard, D. C. and Bellinder, R. R. 2001. Effect of cultivation and interseeded cover crops on weed suppression and cover crop establishment in fall kale and broccoli. British Crop Protection conference, Weeds—2001. 2:321–324.Google Scholar
Bussan, A. J. and Boerboom, C. M. 2001. Modeling the integrated management of velvetleaf in a corn-soybean rotation. Weed Sci 49:31–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chu, C., Ludford, P. M., Ozbun, J. L., and Sweet, R. D. 1978. Effects of temperature and competition on the establishment and growth of redroot pigweed and common lambsquarters. Crop Sci 18:308–310.Google Scholar
Cutcliffe, J. A. 1972. Effects of plant spacing and nitrogen on incidence of hollow stem in broccoli. Can. J. Plant Sci 52:867–869.Google Scholar
Eberlein, C. V., Sheaffer, C. C., and Oliveira, V. F. 1992. Corn growth and yield in an alfalfa living mulch system. J. Prod. Agric 5:332–339.Google Scholar
Ellis, D. R., Guillard, K., and Adams, R. G. 2000. Purslane as a living mulch in broccoli production. Am. J. Alt. Agric 15:50–59.Google Scholar
Foulds, C. M., Stewart, K. A., and Samson, R. A. 1991. On-farm evaluation of legume interseedings in broccoli. Pages 179–180 in Hargrove, W. L. ed. Cover Crops for Clean Water. Ankeny, IA: Soil and Water Conservation Society.Google Scholar
Hill, N. M., Patriquin, D. G., and VanderKloet, S. P. 1989. Weed seed bank and vegetation at the beginning and end of the first cycle of a 4-course crop rotation with minimal weed control. J. Appl. Ecol 76:233–248.Google Scholar
Infante, M. L. and Morse, R. D. 1996. Integration of no tillage and overseeded legume living mulches for transplanted broccoli production. Hortic. Sci 31:376–380.Google Scholar
Jimenez-Osnorio, J. J. and Gliessman, S. R. 1987. Allelopathic interference in a wild mustard (Brassica campestris L.) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) intercrop agroecosystem. Pages 262–274 in Waller, G. R. ed. Allelochemicals: Role in Agriculture and Forestry. ACS Symposium Series 330. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society.Google Scholar
Jordan, N. 1996. Weed prevention: priority research for alternative weed management. J. Prod. Agric 9:485–490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kloen, H. and Altieri, M. A. 1990. Effect of mustard (Brassica hirta) as a non-crop plant on competition and insect pests in broccoli (Brassica oleracea). Crop Prot 9:90–96.Google Scholar
Knesivic, Z. S. and Horak, M. J. 1998. Influence of emergence time and density on redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus). Weed Sci 46:665–672.Google Scholar
Kurtz, T. 1951. The importance of nitrogen and water in reducing competition between intercrops and corn. Agron. J. 44:13–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legere, A. and Schreiber, M. M. 1989. Competition and canopy architecture as affected by soybean (Glycene max) row width and density of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus). Weed Sci 37:84–92.Google Scholar
Liebman, M. and Dyck, E. 1993. Crop rotation and intercropping strategies for weed management. Ecol. Appl 3:92–122.Google Scholar
Liebman, M. and Staver, C. P. 2001. Crop diversification for weed management. Pages 322–374 in Liebman, M., Mohler, C. L., and Staver, C. P. eds. Ecological Management of Agricultural Weeds. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McLachlan, S. M., Tollenaar, M., Swanton, C. J., and Weise, S. F. 1993. Effect of corn-induced shading and temperature on dry matter accumulation, distribution, and architecture of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L). Weed Sci 41:590–593.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norris, R. F. 1996. Weed population dynamics: seed production. Second Int. Weed Control Cong. Copenhagen, Denmark, Pp. 15–20.Google Scholar
Oryokot, J. O. E., Thomas, A. G., and Swanton, C. J. 1997. Temperature- and moisture-dependent models of seed germination and shoot elongation in green and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus powellii, A. retroflexus). Weed Sci 45:488–496.Google Scholar
Pearcy, R. W., Tumosa, N., and Williams, K. 1981. Relationships between growth, photosynthesis and competitive interactions for a C3 and a C4 plant. Oecologia (Berl) 48:371–376.Google Scholar
Robinson, R. G. and Dunham, R. S. 1954. Companion crops for weed control in soybean. Agron. J 46:278–281.Google Scholar
Sarrantonio, M. 1994. Northeast Cover Crop Handbook. Soil Health Series. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Institute. 118 p.Google Scholar
[SAS] Statistical Analysis Systems. 1999. SAS/STAT User's Guide Version 7-1. Cary, NC: Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1030 p.Google Scholar
Scott, T. W., Pleasant, J. Mt, Burt, R. F., and Otis, D. J. 1987. Contributions of ground cover, dry matter, and nitrogen from intercrops and cover crops in a corn polyculture system. Agron. J 79:792–798.Google Scholar
Stoskopf, N. C. 1985. Cereal Grain Crops. Reston, VA: Reston. 516 p.Google Scholar
Swinton, S. M. and King, R. P. 1994. A bioeconomic model for weed management in corn and soybean. Agric. Syst 44:313–335.Google Scholar
Teasdale, J. R. 1998. Cover crops, smother plants, and weed management. Pages 247–270 in Hatfield, J. L., Buhler, D. D., and Stewart, B. A. eds. Integrated Weed and Soil Management. Chelsea, MI: Ann Arbor Press.Google Scholar
Tessier, M. and Leroux, G. D. 1993. Row intercropping for weed control in an organic production of broccoli. Abstr. Weed Sci. Soc. Am 33:341.Google Scholar
Theunissen, J. 1994. Intercropping in field vegetable crops: pest management by agrosystem diversification—an overview. Pestic. Sci 42:65–68.Google Scholar
Vandermeer, J. 1989. The Ecology of Intercropping. New York: Cambridge University Press. 237 p.Google Scholar
Weaver, S. E., Tan, C. S., and Brain, P. 1988. Effect of temperature and soil moisture on time of emergence of tomatoes and four weed species. Can. J. Plant Sci 68:877–886.Google Scholar
Weiner, J. 1990. Asymmetric competition in plant populations. Tree 5:360–364.Google Scholar
Wien, H. C. and Wurr, D. C. E. 1997. Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts. Pages 511–552 in Wien, H. C. ed. The Physiology of Vegetable Crops. New York: CAB International.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, S. R., Devine, O. J., Belesky, D. P., Dobson, J. W. Jr., and Dawson, R. N. 1987. No-tillage intercropped corn production in tall fescue sod as affected by sod control and nitrogen fertilization. Agron. J 79:685–690.Google Scholar