Dynamics of Cynodon dactylon and weed community composition in different cover crops in a vineyard

Abstract

AbstractThe implementation of cover crops in vineyards is an environment‐friendly soil management technique that has several advantages, including weed suppression. The effectiveness of the management depends on the characteristics of both the weed community and the cover crop species. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the dynamics of Cynodon dactylon patches and the rest of the weed community composition under five different cover crops (four grasses and one dicotyledonous species) in a commercial vineyard in Spain: (1) the perennial Festuca arundinacea and the annual species (2) Hordeum vulgare, (3) Vulpia ciliata, (4) a mixture of Bromus species and (5) Medicago rugosa. The annual species were sown in November every year after tillage (from 2015 to 2018) and shredded in June, while F. arundinacea was sown in 2015 and shredded in June and in November every year. Results showed that cover crop species affected C. dactylon soil coverage and frequency across the field. After three seasons, F. arundinacea and H. vulgare were the best cover crops which controlled C. dactylon, resulting in the lowest weed coverage of 4.6% and 3.0% respectively. Although the expansion of the weed was restrained by cover crops, the soil tillage prior to sowing the annual species spreads the rhizomes and stolons to weed free areas of the field. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed that the weed community composition varied depending on the cover crop species, revealing the importance of its management in the weed assemblage.