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- Title
Strategies for Weed Management in Organic Hops, a Perennial Crop.
- Authors
Delahunty, Krista M.; Johnston, Jason C.
- Abstract
To investigate the best weed management practices in small-scale, organic northeastern U.S. hop production, we conducted an experiment that addressed the following: is straw mulch or tilling a better non-herbicide practice to control weeds and is a cover crop effective in reducing weed populations and thus worth delaying hops planting by a year. In 2012, we established a new hopyard with about half the area planted in four varieties. We implemented three cultural approaches to weed management: straw mulch, tilling, and nothing (control). The other half of the hopyard was cover cropped in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), and a smaller control area was left fallow. In the spring of 2013, the overwintered rapeseed was tilled in and hop rhizomes were planted where previously had been either rapeseed or fallow. We measured hop plant linear growth in both years, as well as cone mass for the 2-yr-old plants. To assess weed growth, we measured total weed biomass and percent cover for each weed species. We found that rapeseed did not have a positive effect on plant growth or weed suppression, and there was little evidence that waiting a year to plant hops was beneficial. Straw cover showed better measures of weed suppression, but hops wet mass in 2-yr-old plants was actually higher in the tilled plots. Weed management should address persistence and establishment of perennial weeds like goldenrod (Solidago spp.). The best practice may involve a mixed approach of intensive springtime tilling and weed management, followed by summer straw mulching.
- Subjects
WEED control research; VEGETATION management; HOPS; RAPESEED; TILLAGE research
- Publication
Agronomy Journal, 2015, Vol 107, Issue 2, p634
- ISSN
0002-1962
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2134/agronj14.0403