**Meet the editor**

Dr Andrew Price is a Weed Scientist at USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory and Affiliate Associate Professor of Agronomy and Soils Dept. at Auburn University. Dr Price is a native of East Tennessee, U.S.A. and received both B.S. and M.S. degrees from The University of Tennessee majoring in Plant and Soil Sciences and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University major-

ing in Crop Science. Dr Price's primary responsibilities in the Conservation Systems Research group are to conduct research addressing the impact of integrated weed management strategies on weed populations/competitiveness in conservation systems as well as development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly weed management systems integrating conservation tillage, crop rotations, cover crops and weed management systems.

Contents

**Preface IX** 

**Part 1 Integrated Cultural Weed Management 1** 

**Planted Rice in an Intercropping System** 

Amitesh Kumar Singh and Amalesh Yadav

**Weeds in Agroecosystems: A Review 75** 

**Through the Use of Cover Crops 115**  Jessica Kelton, Andrew Price and Jorge Mosjidis

**Part 2 Integrated Chemical Weed Management 131** 

**and Weed Control in Temperate Climates 101**  Andrew Price, Jessica Kelton and Jorge Mosjidis

**Spraying Cost and Target Weed Distribution 133** 

**for Weed Control in an Organic Farming System 3**  Lina Šarūnaitė, Aušra Arlauskienė, Irena Deveikytė, Stanislava Maikštėnienė and Žydrė Kadžiulienė

**as Affected by Nitrogen and Weed Management 31**  Manoj Kumar Yadav, R.S. Singh, Gaurav Mahajan, Subhash Babu, Sanjay Kumar Yadav, Rakesh Kumar, Mahesh Kumar Singh,

Chapter 1 **Intercropping of Pea and Spring Cereals** 

Chapter 2 **Ridge Planted Pigeonpea and Furrow** 

Chapter 3 **Mulches for Weed Management** 

Chapter 4 **Living Mulch as a Tool to Control** 

Timothy Coolong

G.R. Mohammadi

Chapter 6 **Allelopathic Weed Suppression** 

Chapter 7 **The Relationship Between Patch** 

John Carroll and Nicholas Holden

**in Vegetable Production 57** 

Chapter 5 **Utilization of Sunn Hemp for Cover Crops** 

## Contents

#### **Preface XI**

	- **Part 2 Integrated Chemical Weed Management 131**
	- **Part 3 Integrated Weed Management and Soil Fertility/Quality 185**

## Preface

Weeds have flourished in agricultural production since man began cultivating plants for food and fiber. Most early weed control was an incidental byproduct of seedbed preparation rather than deliberate actions to specifically control weeds. When weed control was planned, mulching and hand pulling were the primary practices until tillage became the standard for weed control. With the progression of agricultural science, the benefits from controlling unwanted plants were evident but remained a largely overlooked area of study within agricultural research. Not until the first selective herbicide was commercially available in the 1940's did research begin in earnest to evaluate weed biology and identify and develop weed management strategies.

The widespread utilization of herbicides in industrialized agriculture spurred continued efforts into developing new chemistries for use in diverse crop settings. With tillage herbicide use established as effective means for broad spectrum weed control, alternative or integrated practices for weed suppression were often overlooked with little attention to the long-term impact of these practices. In recent years, however, thought has been given to the sustainability of current agricultural practices. Continued use of single control measures proves to be unsustainable for the long-term either through soil degradation and erosion or from herbicide resistance development. Due to this, research has begun to focus on a broader range of control practices to successfully control weed species while preserving the productivity of agricultural systems in the future.

In addition to mechanical and chemical weed control tactics, cultural control mechanisms, which refer to production practices that can be altered or manipulated by producers, have increasingly become vital aspects of weed management systems. Cultural practices such as cover cropping, crop rotations, intercropping, mulching, and selective chemical and fertilizer placement can offer a measure of weed control when employed individually. However, the use of cultural practices in conjunction with tillage and/or herbicides for integrated weed control provides increased weed control potential while affording producers the ability to implement sustainable growing practices.

In light of the numerous weed control options available for use in various systems, individual weed management plans can be developed for specific circumstances rather

#### XII Preface

than based on predetermined control strategies. Integrated systems can offer producers multiple means for weed control without overdependence on a single control strategy. However, components of these systems must be thoroughly researched if they are going to be implemented effectively.

Contributions to *Weed Control* cover a broad range of weed control options that can be assimilated for successful, sustainable weed control in agricultural systems. Authors present a number of topic reviews on cultural weed management practices such as cover crop utilization, intercropping, mulching and other control strategies. Herbicidebased weed control research are also included as chapters in the book. Included topics represent only a small portion of current research and approaches to weed control that are being examined for use in agriculture. Ultimately, however, it is anticipated that readers will appreciate the diversity of weed control options and begin to reduce reliance on single tactic weed management practices.

Future progress with weed control research will likely improve upon many of the tactics presented within this book while other practices may be superseded by innovative methods that provide even greater control. Despite the evolving nature of weed control, it is hoped that this publication remains a quality source for those seeking information about the many approaches to agricultural weed control.

> **Andrew J. Price**  United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services National Soil Dynamics Laboratory Auburn, Alabama USA
