Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations
Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the role of cover cropping is to supple...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/3/193 |
| _version_ | 1797395135258951680 |
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| author | Barbara Baraibar Charles M. White Mitchell C. Hunter Denise M. Finney Mary E. Barbercheck Jason P. Kaye William S. Curran Jess Bunchek David A. Mortensen |
| author_facet | Barbara Baraibar Charles M. White Mitchell C. Hunter Denise M. Finney Mary E. Barbercheck Jason P. Kaye William S. Curran Jess Bunchek David A. Mortensen |
| author_sort | Barbara Baraibar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the role of cover cropping is to supplement ecosystem service provisioning, we were interested in assessing the impacts of weeds on such provisioning. To our knowledge, no research has examined how weeds in cover crops may impact the provision of ecosystem services and disservices. Here, we review services and disservices associated with weeds in annual agroecosystems and present two case studies from the United States to illustrate how weeds growing in fall-planted cover crops can provide ground cover, decrease potential soil losses, and effectively manage nitrogen. We argue that in certain circumstances, weeds in cover crops can enhance ecosystem service provisioning. In other circumstances, such as in the case of herbicide-resistant weeds, cover crops should be managed to limit weed biomass and fecundity. Based on our case studies and review of the current literature, we conclude that the extent to which weeds should be allowed to grow in a cover crop is largely context-dependent. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:30:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7a41434994744219b0c4c796e53e8c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:30:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7a41434994744219b0c4c796e53e8c42023-12-11T18:35:34ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722021-02-0111319310.3390/agriculture11030193Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management ConsiderationsBarbara Baraibar0Charles M. White1Mitchell C. Hunter2Denise M. Finney3Mary E. Barbercheck4Jason P. Kaye5William S. Curran6Jess Bunchek7David A. Mortensen8Department of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USADepartment of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USAAmerican Farmland Trust, St. Paul, MN 55108, USADepartment of Biology, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA 19426, USADepartment of Entomology, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USADepartment of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USADepartment of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USADepartment of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USADepartment of Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USACover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the role of cover cropping is to supplement ecosystem service provisioning, we were interested in assessing the impacts of weeds on such provisioning. To our knowledge, no research has examined how weeds in cover crops may impact the provision of ecosystem services and disservices. Here, we review services and disservices associated with weeds in annual agroecosystems and present two case studies from the United States to illustrate how weeds growing in fall-planted cover crops can provide ground cover, decrease potential soil losses, and effectively manage nitrogen. We argue that in certain circumstances, weeds in cover crops can enhance ecosystem service provisioning. In other circumstances, such as in the case of herbicide-resistant weeds, cover crops should be managed to limit weed biomass and fecundity. Based on our case studies and review of the current literature, we conclude that the extent to which weeds should be allowed to grow in a cover crop is largely context-dependent.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/3/193ecosystem servicessoil erosioncovernutrient managementtrade-offs |
| spellingShingle | Barbara Baraibar Charles M. White Mitchell C. Hunter Denise M. Finney Mary E. Barbercheck Jason P. Kaye William S. Curran Jess Bunchek David A. Mortensen Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations Agriculture ecosystem services soil erosion cover nutrient management trade-offs |
| title | Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations |
| title_full | Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations |
| title_fullStr | Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations |
| title_short | Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations |
| title_sort | weeds in cover crops context and management considerations |
| topic | ecosystem services soil erosion cover nutrient management trade-offs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/3/193 |
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