Organic production tools for field peas: are cultivar mixtures more competitive with weeds?
Date
2012-03-13
Authors
Syrovy, L.
Shirtliffe, S.
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Abstract
Within Saskatchewan’s organic industry there is a need for improved tools to minimize yield
losses due to weeds. Cultivar mixtures may improve the ability of organic pulse crops to
suppress weeds and maintain yields in the presence of weeds. While semileafless peas are
known for their lodging resistance and high yield potential in the absence of weeds, conventional
peas may provide better weed suppression and yield stability in the presence of weeds. A
replicated field experiment was conducted at two organic field sites to test the hypothesis that
cultivar mixtures of conventional and semileafless field pea would differ in weed suppression
and yields. The experiment tested factorial combinations of five ratios of semileafless pea
cultivar CDC Dakota and conventional cultivar CDC Sonata (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and
100:0, respectively), and two seeding rates (conventional and organic recommended). Plots were
monitored for crop and weed emergence, biomass, and yields. Significant differences were
observed among the different ratios of semileafless and conventional field pea. Results indicate
that the semileafless cultivar was more competitive with weeds than the conventional. As the
canopy composition progressed from a pure conventional canopy towards increasing percentages
of semileafless pea in the mixture, total weed biomass decreased, and total crop yields increased.
It was concluded that while no additional weed suppression or yield benefits were seen compared
with growing the more strongly competitive semileafless cultivar alone, cultivar mixtures
reduced the risk associated with growing unfamiliar or less competitive cultivars by stabilizing
weed suppression and crop yields at a level between the two components of the mixture.
Description
Keywords
cultivar competitiveness, crop weed competition
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Soils and Crops Workshop