Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a major crop in the Vidarbha region of central India. The vertisol soils on which much of the cotton is grown have been severely degraded by the tropical climate, excessive tillage and depletion of organic matter. Living mulches have the ability to mitigate these pr...
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MDPI AG
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/8/2/19 |
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| author | Vinay Bhaskar Robin R. Bellinder Antonio DiTommaso Michael F. Walter |
| author_facet | Vinay Bhaskar Robin R. Bellinder Antonio DiTommaso Michael F. Walter |
| author_sort | Vinay Bhaskar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a major crop in the Vidarbha region of central India. The vertisol soils on which much of the cotton is grown have been severely degraded by the tropical climate, excessive tillage and depletion of organic matter. Living mulches have the ability to mitigate these problems but they can cause crop losses through direct competition with the cotton crop and unreliable weed control. Field experiments were conducted in 2012 and 2013 at four locations in Vidarbha to study the potential for growing living mulches in mono-cropped cotton. Living mulch species evaluated included gliricidia [Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp.], sesbania [Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr.], sorghum sudan grass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. Drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) de Wet & Harlan] and sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.). Living mulch height was controlled through mowing and herbicides were not used. Living mulches generated 1 to 13 tons ha−1 of dry matter across sites and years. Weed cover was negatively correlated with both living mulch biomass and cover. Where living mulches were vigorous and established quickly, weed cover was as low as 7%, without the use of herbicides, or inter-row tillage. In a dry year, living mulch growth had a negative impact on cotton yield; however, in a year when soil moisture was not limiting, there was a positive relationship between cotton yield and living mulch biomass. Use of living mulches in cotton production in the Vidarbha region of India is feasible and can lead to both effective weed suppression and acceptable cotton yields. |
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| id | doaj.art-15b9064129aa4b60b9212aa3b8b7175d |
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| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T01:22:09Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-15b9064129aa4b60b9212aa3b8b7175d2022-12-21T19:58:23ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722018-01-01821910.3390/agriculture8020019agriculture8020019Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed ControlVinay Bhaskar0Robin R. Bellinder1Antonio DiTommaso2Michael F. Walter3Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 236 Tower Rd., Ithaca, NY 14853, USAHorticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 236 Tower Rd., Ithaca, NY 14853, USASoil and Crop Sciences Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 306 Tower Rd., Ithaca, NY 14853, USADepartment of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University,111 Wing Dr., Ithaca, NY 14853, USACotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a major crop in the Vidarbha region of central India. The vertisol soils on which much of the cotton is grown have been severely degraded by the tropical climate, excessive tillage and depletion of organic matter. Living mulches have the ability to mitigate these problems but they can cause crop losses through direct competition with the cotton crop and unreliable weed control. Field experiments were conducted in 2012 and 2013 at four locations in Vidarbha to study the potential for growing living mulches in mono-cropped cotton. Living mulch species evaluated included gliricidia [Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp.], sesbania [Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr.], sorghum sudan grass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. Drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) de Wet & Harlan] and sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.). Living mulch height was controlled through mowing and herbicides were not used. Living mulches generated 1 to 13 tons ha−1 of dry matter across sites and years. Weed cover was negatively correlated with both living mulch biomass and cover. Where living mulches were vigorous and established quickly, weed cover was as low as 7%, without the use of herbicides, or inter-row tillage. In a dry year, living mulch growth had a negative impact on cotton yield; however, in a year when soil moisture was not limiting, there was a positive relationship between cotton yield and living mulch biomass. Use of living mulches in cotton production in the Vidarbha region of India is feasible and can lead to both effective weed suppression and acceptable cotton yields.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/8/2/19cottoncover cropssemi-arid cropping systemsgliricidiaIndialiving mulchestropical intercropping systemssesbaniasunnhempsustainable agricultureVidarbhaweed management |
| spellingShingle | Vinay Bhaskar Robin R. Bellinder Antonio DiTommaso Michael F. Walter Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control Agriculture cotton cover crops semi-arid cropping systems gliricidia India living mulches tropical intercropping systems sesbania sunnhemp sustainable agriculture Vidarbha weed management |
| title | Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control |
| title_full | Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control |
| title_fullStr | Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control |
| title_full_unstemmed | Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control |
| title_short | Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control |
| title_sort | living mulch performance in a tropical cotton system and impact on yield and weed control |
| topic | cotton cover crops semi-arid cropping systems gliricidia India living mulches tropical intercropping systems sesbania sunnhemp sustainable agriculture Vidarbha weed management |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/8/2/19 |
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