Consecutive effect of field fallowing on rye weed infestation

Abstract

The paper presents the results of research concerning the influence of various ways of field fallowing on the weed infestation of winter rye on the light soil. In 2003–2005 the experiments were carried out in the Experimental Station in Bezek (east Lublin Region) on podsolic soil, formed from heavy loamy sand. Rye was sown after one-year land lying fallow, in which 5 various ways of its cultivation were used: bare fallow (mechanical), mechanical and herbicide fallow, herbicide fallow, green fodder fallow and green-manured fallow. Roundup 360 SL was used in chemical cultivation. The range of research comprised the follow-up influence of field fallowing on crop weed infestation. The infestation was defined by quantitative and weight method before rye harvest. It was stated that the greatest influence on the rye weed infestation was exerted by weather conditions in vegetation period. The best way of one-year fallow cultivation turned out mechanical and herbicide fallow, which reduced the number of weeds as well as significantly decreased the dry mass of weeds in rye crop, particularly compared with green fallow. The application of Roundup 360 SL in chemical cultivation of fallow eliminated Elymus repens from weeds community growing on a rye field sown on both herbicide as well as mechanical and herbicide fallow. The dominant species in a canopy of winter rye were dicotyledonous species, especially Viola arvensis and Apera spica-venti from monocotyledones class, whereas in cereal-pulse crop mixture Echinochloa crus-galli occurred in the greatest number.