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Abstract
The legacy effects of crop diversity on maize (Zea mays L.) tissue nutrient composition, weed community structure, and intensity of weed-crop competition were assessed through a field experiment at two sites in the northeastern United States. Fields were conditioned with crop diversity gradients from summer 2016 to spring 2019. The crop diversity gradients ranged from a single cultivar to sixteen intercropped cultivars (four species, four cultivars per species) and were established in organic annual and perennial cropping systems. Following the three-year conditioning phase, maize was planted across the entire experiment, and each conditioning-phase diversity treatment was split into weed-free, ambient-weed, moderate-weed, and heavy-weed treatments. Within each cropping system, the effect of crop diversity legacy on weed-crop competition was negligible. In contrast, weed-crop competition varied between the maize grown in soil conditioned by the annual and perennial cropping systems.
Department
Natural Resources and the Environment
Publication Date
12-18-2024
Journal Title
npj Sustainable Agriculture
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Menalled, U.D., Ann Bybee-Finley, K., Smith, R.G. et al. Legacy effects of crop diversity on weed-crop competition in maize production. npj Sustain. Agric. 2, 28 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-024-00036-y
Comments
This is an open access article published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in npj Sustainable Agriculture in 2024, available online: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44264-024-00036-y