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Evaluating Soil Solarization and Mustard Seed Meal as Preplant Treatments for Weed Control in Annual Hill Plasticulture Strawberry Production
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 November 2024
Abstract
Alternative strategies to fumigation are needed to manage weeds and improve fruit yield in the annual hill plasticulture strawberry production system. Field experiments were conducted in Blackstone, Virginia, for two consecutive growing seasons, 2013/14 and 2014/15, to assess the efficacy of 4 wk and 8 wk soil solarization (SS) and mustard seed meal (MSM) at 1121 kg ha−1, alone and in combination, for weed control efficacy and crop yield estimation in an annual hill plasticulture strawberry production system. These treatments were compared to 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) + chloropicrin (Pic) fumigation standard at 188 kg ha−1 and the untreated control (UTC). Over both growing seasons, compared to 1,3-D+ Pic, the SS-MSM-8wk and SS-8wk treatments provided equivalent or reduced cumulative weed count, including weed count of several dominant weed species, annual ryegrass, speedwell, common chickweed, and cudweed. The SS-4wk and MSM-4wk treatments did not affect weed density compared to UTC. The MSM-8 wk and 4 wk treatments reduced cumulative weed counts over UTC. In the second growing season, the total yield was significantly higher in the 1,3-D + Pic fumigation treatment compared with other treatments. The SS-4wk, MSM-4wk, and MSM-8wk treatments did not improve the total or marketable yield compared to UTC. The marketable yield in SS-MSM-8wk was similar to that of the 1,3-D + Pic treatment. In conclusion, the SS-8wk and SS-MSM-8wk treatments may be effective weed management strategies for organic growers, small farms, or growers who cannot use chemical fumigants due to new regulations and potential risks to human health.
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- This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
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- © Weed Science Society of America, 2024