FAR’s Weed Research Strategy for the New Zealand Cropping Sector, focuses on a Farming Systems Approach to Weed Management. In the third of his articles on non-chemical weed control Dr Charles Merfield from The Future Farming Centre, Lincoln, looks at the science underpinning stale and false seedbeds and how to make the most of them on-farm.
Key points
- False seedbeds allow for removal of weed seedlings by shallow cultivation before the crop is sown.
- Stale seedbeds allow for removal of weed seedlings before crop emergence.
- False seed beds can be used after harvest to remove crop volunteers.
- False and stale seed beds can be used before sowing to combat the spring weed flush.
- Most of the weed seed bank is dormant, but the small fraction that is not, will rapidly germinate, given the right conditions.
- Cultivation can create the ideal environment for weed seed germination.
- The vast majority of weeds emerge from seeds within 5 cm of the soil surface.