Abstract
In organic farming, the use of herbicides is prohibited. It is therefore necessary to mobilize alternative techniques for weed management. Currently, banana farms certified in organic farming can mobilize four types of solutions for weed management i) mowing techniques, ii) mulching with crop residues or with recyclable and reusable cover, iii) installation of cover crops for weed growth regulation, and iv) selective weeding in the spontaneous vegetal cover. However, the mobilization of these alternatives may reveal negative environmental impacts and increase the hardships and the cost of agricultural work. This study evaluated the impact of weed competition on banana growth and the impact of different weed management options in organic banana agrosystems. In a first experiment in Martinique comparing different mechanical weed control options with a conventional herbicide control, we evaluated the effect of competition for nitrogen from the weed cover on the banana crop. A set of technical tests conducted in Guadeloupe studied the feasibility and the impact of a range of weed management options suitable for organic production. Weed cover managed by mowing demonstrated a high competition for mineral nitrogen during the first banana crop cycle, but no additional negative impact was observed during the second cycle. Mowing tools promoted a higher grass species diversity in the cover but compacted soils. Cover crops provided an effective weed regulation but required a significant cost to set up. Mulching with vegetal material or polypropylene cover ensures good weed control except against the lianas. This option is suitable for weed control during the beginning of the first cycle. Afterwards, a possible option is the selective weeding, which consists of the manual elimination of plants such as Mikania micrantha, Ipomeae sp., considered to be harmful for the crop. This practice can also be combined with mowing management.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Mowed weed cover competed strongly for mineral nitrogen in the first banana crop cycle.
Verbatim
e0“Weed cover managed by mowing demonstrated a high competition for mineral nitrogen during the first banana crop cycle”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
No additional negative effect of mowed weed cover was seen in the second banana cycle.
Verbatim
e0“no additional negative impact was observed during the second cycle.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Mowing tools increased grass species diversity in the cover.
- Taxon
- bananat0
- Treatment
- Mowing toolse0
- Interactor
- grass speciese0weed
- Outcome
- grass species diversitye0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Mowing tools promoted a higher grass species diversity in the cover but compacted soils.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Mowing tools compacted soils.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Mowing tools promoted a higher grass species diversity in the cover but compacted soils.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops effectively regulated weeds.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Cover crops provided an effective weed regulation but required a significant cost to set up.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops required a significant setup cost.
Verbatim
e0“Cover crops provided an effective weed regulation but required a significant cost to set up.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Vegetal material mulch controlled weeds well except lianas.
- Taxon
- bananat0
- Treatment
- Mulching with vegetal materiale0
- Interactor
- lianase0weed
- Outcome
- weed controle0
- Qualifier
- except against the lianase0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Mulching with vegetal material or polypropylene cover ensures good weed control except against the lianas.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Polypropylene cover controlled weeds well except lianas.
- Taxon
- bananat0
- Treatment
- polypropylene covere0
- Interactor
- lianase0weed
- Outcome
- weed controle0
- Qualifier
- except against the lianase0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Mulching with vegetal material or polypropylene cover ensures good weed control except against the lianas.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching is suitable for weed control early in the first banana cycle.
Verbatim
e0“This option is suitable for weed control during the beginning of the first cycle.”
t0“banana”
Claim · model-written summary
Selective weeding may be used afterward and combined with mowing.
Verbatim
e0“Afterwards, a possible option is the selective weeding, which consists of the manual elimination of plants such as Mikania micrantha, Ipomeae sp., considered to be harmful for the crop. This practice can also be combined with mowing management.”
t0“banana”
The same questions in other papers
cover crop · weed · MusaResults agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
mulching · weed · MusaResults agree
4 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 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.