Abstract
A field study was conducted in the fifth (cowpea crop) and sixth (sorghum crop) seasons of a long-term conservation agriculture trial at Matopos Research Station to determine the effect of tillage, maize mulch rates and intensity of hoe weeding on weed density and community diversity. The experiment was a split-plot randomized complete block design with three replications. Tillage was the main plot factor; conventional tillage versus the minimum tillage (MT) systems of ripper tine and planting basins. Maize mulch rate (0, 4 and 8 t ha-1) was the sub-plot factor to which was super-imposed the intensity of hoe weeding treatment (low and high) as from the fifth season. Tillage system had no significant (P<0.05) effect on weed density and diversity. Whereas the maize mulch rate of 4 t ha-1 increased weed density in both crops, the mulch rate of 8 t ha-1 decreased the density of Portulaca oleracea and Corchorus tridens in sorghum. Weed density was lower and community diversity higher in the high than the low weeding intensity treatment in sorghum. Although, frequent hoe weeding can be used to control weeds in MT systems, labour shortages may ultimately limit the area under MT in smallholder agriculture.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage system had no significant effect on weed density and diversity.
Verbatim
t0“Response of weed flora to conservation agriculture systems”
e1“Tillage system had no significant (P<0.05) effect on weed density and diversity”
e2“conventional tillage versus the minimum tillage (MT) systems of ripper tine and planting basins”
Claim · model-written summary
The maize mulch rate of 4 t/ha increased weed density in both crops.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“Response of weed flora to conservation agriculture systems”
e1“Whereas the maize mulch rate of 4 t ha-1 increased weed density in both crops”
Claim · model-written summary
The maize mulch rate of 8 t/ha decreased the density of Portulaca oleracea and Corchorus tridens in sorghum.
- Treatment
- mulch rate of 8 t ha-1e1
- Interactor
- Portulaca oleracea
Portulaca oleraceae1weed - Second interactor
- Corchorus tridens
Corchorus tridense1weed - Outcome
- density of Portulaca oleracea and Corchorus tridense1
- Direction
- decreasede1
SorghumNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“the mulch rate of 8 t ha-1 decreased the density of Portulaca oleracea and Corchorus tridens in sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
In sorghum, weed density was lower in high than in low hoe weeding intensity.
- Treatment
- weeding intensitye1
- Outcome
- Weed densitye1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Comparator
- low weeding intensity treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Weed density was lower and community diversity higher in the high than the low weeding intensity treatment in sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
In sorghum, community diversity was higher in high than in low hoe weeding intensity.
- Treatment
- weeding intensitye1
- Outcome
- community diversitye1
- Direction
- highere1
- Comparator
- low weeding intensity treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Weed density was lower and community diversity higher in the high than the low weeding intensity treatment in sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Frequent hoe weeding can be used to control weeds in minimum tillage systems.
Verbatim
t0“Response of weed flora to conservation agriculture systems”
e1“Although, frequent hoe weeding can be used to control weeds in MT systems”
The same questions in other papers
herbicide · weed · SorghumPositive and negative results
33 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
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31 papers more in this group
See all 35 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.