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Impacts of two years of autumn cover crops in northwestern Washington on winter annual weed populations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2023

Steven S. Seefeldt Open the ORCID record for Steven S. Seefeldt [Opens in a new window] ,
Toby M. Una ,
Don McMoran Open the ORCID record for Don McMoran [Opens in a new window] ,
Brian Maupin Open the ORCID record for Brian Maupin [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth Myhre  and
Deirdre Griffin-LaHue Open the ORCID record for Deirdre Griffin-LaHue [Opens in a new window]
Steven S. Seefeldt*
Affiliation:
Associate Research Faculty (Retired), Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Mount Vernon, WA, USA
Toby M. Una
Affiliation:
Graduate Student, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Mount Vernon, WA, USA
Don McMoran
Affiliation:
Director, Skagit County Extension, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA, USA
Brian Maupin
Affiliation:
Technician, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Mount Vernon, WA, USA
Elizabeth Myhre
Affiliation:
Technician, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Mount Vernon, WA, USA
Deirdre Griffin-LaHue
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Mount Vernon, WA, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Steven S. Seefeldt, Washington State University–Mount Vernon, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. (Email: steven.seefeldt@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Cover cropping is a suggested soil conservation practice widely investigated in cropping systems. Cover crops suppress weeds and often are part of an integrated weed management plan that could lead to reduced herbicide use and possibly reduce the weed seedbank. Winter brassica cover crops are popular in the eastern Washington potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production region, but in western Washington, the production of brassica seed crops presents disease issues along with the risk of cross-pollination, which limits the use of brassica cover crops. Research for this article was conducted in two trials from 2018 to 2020 and 2019 to 2021in Mount Vernon, Washington, to identify winter cover crops compatible with regional restrictions and climatic challenges in western Washington cropping systems. Treatments including a no-cover control, eight single species (including brassicas, grasses, and legumes), and a grass–legume mixture were investigated. Cover crop and weed biomass production were measured, and percent ground cover for cover crops and weeds by species was estimated. Cover crop biomass and weed suppression varied by year due to variable environments, but annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and the mixture were most consistent in producing large amounts of biomass and reducing weed biomass and cover in all years. The variability of percent weed cover response to environment was ameliorated when weed cover was normalized within each year’s control.

Keywords

Biomassdensitycover crop diversity
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Science , Volume 71 , Issue 2 , March 2023 , pp. 150 - 159
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Weed Science Society of America

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: Nicholas Basinger, University of Georgia

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