Influence of buckwheat insertion depth on weediness of barley and bean crops

Abstract

The article presents the effect of different insertion of buckwheat as a catch crop on the weediness of spring barley and bean crops. The research was carried out in 2019–2020 at the farm of Virmantas Pocius, located in Pakruojis District, in two fields, near Draudeliai Village. The experiment variants were the following: 1) tillage of cover crops in autumn (control); 2) shallow tillage of cover crops to a depth of 5 cm in autumn; 3) deep tillage of cover crops in a depth of 20 cm in autumn. In the control and shallow insertion of catch crops, higher levels of perennial and wintering weeds (weed category IV) were found in spring barley and bean crops, and deeply inserted catch crops were found to be lower (weed category III). The weed abundance and harmfulness score in the spring barley crop was 7.84 points, when buckwheat was inserted at a depth of 5 cm, it was 7.19, and when it was inserted at a depth of 20 cm, it was 6.40. In the bean crop, the weed abundance and pest scores in these variants were 8.11, 7.68 and 6.92, respectively. Plants of Asteraceae family prevailed in spring barley and bean crops. Among the harmful weeds of this family, Cirsium arvense, Centaurea cyanu and Tripleurospermum perforatum can be distinguished. Cirsium arvense is a light-loving rhisome weed, its harmfulness point is 10, and by Ellenberg Indicator values it is indifferent to moisture, pH and organic substances (pH and N values).