نوع مقاله : علمی - پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه مهندسی تولید و ژنتیک گیاهی، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه شهید چمران اهواز، اهواز، ایران
2 کشت و صنعت نیشکر هفت تپه، اهواز، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژه‌ها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Introduction
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) is an annual plant from the legume family. This plant is adaptable to different climates and can be cultivated in many regions of Iran. Legumes often experience strong competition from weeds because of their slow early growth rate and limited leaf area development during the initial stages of growth. Weeds reduce nutrient uptake, make mechanized harvesting difficult, and reduce the quality and quantity of grain and straw. Therefore, weed control is a key aspect of agricultural production. Chemical control is not the only solution. The continuous use of herbicides has negative environmental impacts and is not compatible with the goals of sustainable agriculture. Planting arrangements enhance weed competition by altering the structure of the canopy. Mulches reduce water evaporation, improve soil temperature, and reduce competition for water and nutrients. Mulches inhibit weed germination by providing shade, a physical barrier, and the release of allelopathic substances. They also reduce water evaporation, improve soil temperature, and reduce competition for water and nutrients. Mulches suppress weed germination by providing shade, a physical barrier, and the release of allelopathic substances. Despite the great differences in the growth habits of cowpea species, little is known about the effect of these differences on weed competition. Also, the effect of planting arrangement and plant mulch on yield and weed competition has not been investigated. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the optimum planting arrangement to reduce yield loss and to evaluate the role of mulch in controlling weeds and their competition with cowpea.
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted during the 2021–2022 growing season at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Cultivation Company in Shush, Iran, to evaluate the effects of planting patterns and non-chemical weed control methods on the uptake efficiency of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). The experiment was arranged as a factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor was planting arrangement at three levels: (1) single-row planting with 10 cm spacing, (2) double-row planting with 20 cm spacing, and (3) triple-row planting with 30 cm spacing. The second factor was weed management method at six levels: (1) weed-infested control, (2) hand weeding twice (4 & 8 weeks after emergence), (3) wheat stubble mulch (5 t/ha), (4) wheat stubble mulch + weeding once, (5) sugarcane bagasse mulch (5 t.ha-1), and (6) sugarcane bagasse mulch + weeding once. Each plot consisted of 4 ridges, 75 cm wide and 9 m2 in area. The amount of mulch in each plot was 4.5 kg with an approximate thickness of 5-7 cm. The mulches were distributed after planting and before the first irrigation (24/07/2022). Cowpea (Mashhadi cultivar) was planted on 23/07/2022. Mulches were distributed after the first irrigation, when the soil reached its field capacity, to prevent displacement. Fertilization included 100 kg.ha-1 of phosphorus (triple superphosphate), 100 kg.ha-1 of potassium (potassium sulfate) as a base, and 40 kg/ha of nitrogen (urea) in two applications (4-leaf stage and stem growth, 20 kg.ha-1 each). Weed density and dry weight were measured 4 weeks after the treatments and at the end of the growth period with a 1×1 m2 quadrat. Statistical analysis was performed with SAS version 9.4, and the means were compared with the LSD test at the 5% level (p < 0.05).
Results and Discussion
The results indicated that the interaction of planting arrangement and non-chemical weed control significantly affected nitrogen content in shoots (p < 0.05) and phosphorus content in seeds (p < 0.01). The triple-row planting arrangement exhibited the highest phosphorus content in shoots (0.81%) and seeds (1.4%), attributed to enhanced root expansion and reduced weed competition. The double-row arrangement showed the highest potassium content in shoots (6.1%) and seeds (3.44%), due to reduced intra-species competition. The treatment of sugarcane bagasse mulch + weeding once reduced wet and dry weed biomass significantly at 5% level (wet: 15.6 g.m-²; dry: 3.7 g.m-²).
Conclusion
The integrated application of sugarcane bagasse mulch and weeding once effectively decreased weed competition and enhanced nutrient availability, improved cowpea yield. Given the environmental concerns associated with chemical herbicides, these sustainable practices offer promising alternatives for weed management and soil fertility enhancement.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
Authors retain the copyright.This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
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