Effect of different soil cultivation methods on the emergence of <i>Apera spica-venti</i>

Abstract

Minimum tillage, i.e. without plowing the soil, is practiced on about 40% of the arable fields in Germany. The effects on the long run of this soil cultivation are investigated in a long-term field trial. Since autumn 2007 two different soil cultivation methods are investigated in a long-term field trial, among other things, for the emergence of Apera spica-venti before herbicide control. The experimental fields are located in Germany, in the federal state of Brandenburg, about 50 km from Berlin. The crop rotation consists of winter oilseed rape, winter wheat, winter rye, winter barley, winter triticale, peas and maize. The plots were treated with herbicide since the start of the field trial in 1995. Weeds were counted before herbicide application in autumn or spring. For each plot 4 points with an area of 0.25 m² were investigated and both weed number and species were determined.
The results show that the median of Apera spica-venti plants spans from 9 (year 2013) to 55 (2010) plants per m² in cereals crop plots with plowing. For the plots without plowing the median ranges between 18 (2009) and 140 (2017) Apera spica-venti plants per m². In plots without plowing the numbers of emerging Apera spica-venti plants has been rising since the year 2007.