Weediness of agrocenoses in grain-fallow crop rotation depending on agrotechnological methods

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the influence of basic tillage systems and chemicalization options on the weed infestation of agrocenoses in a grain-fallow crop rotation. The experiment was conducted at the Tambov Research Institute of Agriculture on typical, heavy loamy chernozem soil with a humus content of 6.8-7.0%. Five systems of basic tillage were studied. Three levels of mineral nutrition and two levels of plant protection were also investigated. The agrocenoses were characterized by a mixed type of weed infestation with a predominance of annual weed species. The surface treatment system led to an increase in agrocenosis infestation in terms of weed numbers by 27.6% and air-dry mass by 41.4%. Combined treatment systems helped reduce the number of weeds by 27.6 and 37.9%, and their biomass by 23.4 and 32.4%. The application of mineral fertilizers decreased crop infestation, while chemical weeding of crops reduced the number of weeds by 53.6-71.7% and the air-dry mass by 62.0-72.1%. Ploughless cultivation systems significantly reduced the productivity of arable land in the crop rotation. Traditional moldboard and combined systems provided equal output from 1 hectare of arable land.