The use of allelopathy and competitive crop cultivars for weed suppression in cereal crops

Description

Due to the rise of herbicide resistance, diverse weed management tools are required to ensure sustainable weed control. This chapter focuses on competitive cereal crops and cultural strategies for weed management, including the use of weed-suppressive cultivars, post-harvest crop residues, and cover crops for management of the weed seedbank and eventual weed suppression. It also addresses factors influencing the effect of allelopathy on weeds, including soil and environmental conditions which limit or intensify the efficacy of allelochemicals. The response of some weeds to secondary metabolites released by living cereal crops and/or crop residues (selectivity) is also reviewed. Finally, recommendations are given for future research, aiming to address the knowledge gap regarding the fate of these compounds in the environment and their role in important physiological processes in both plants and microbes in the soil rhizosphere.

Table of contents

1 Introduction: key issues and challenges 2 Competitive crops and cultural strategies in weed management 3 The effect of allelopathy on weed suppression 4 The effect of soil and environment on plant metabolites (allelochemicals) 5 Use of crop residue mulches and cover crops in weed suppression 6 Case studies: production of benzoxazinoids in cereal crops 7 Case studies: competitive cereal cultivars as a tool in integrated weed management 8 Summary and future trends 9 Where to look for further information 10 References