SOIL PREPARATION, HERBICIDES, AND SEEDING DATES FOR BARLEY PRODUCTION

Abstract

Soil preparation methods in combination with herbicides for broadleaf weed control were evaluated for barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ’Champlain’) production on a Kamouraska clay and on a St. André gravelly loam near La Pocatière over 2 yr. No-till was applied only in the first year because this method produced low yields when compared to conventional soil preparation (fall-plow, spring-harrow). Fall-prepared soils produced yields equivalent to conventional methods when seeded early but yields decreased as seeding was delayed. Spring harrowing of fall-prepared soils was necessary to sustain yields as seeding was delayed. This was because weeds increased with delayed seeding on no-till and fall-prepared soils. Tillage methods produced greater differences in weed numbers than did herbicides. Yield and kernel size and density decreased with delayed seeding. No-till soils were wetter and colder at the surface than were tilled soils. Fall-prepared soils tended to be wetter with depth than no-till or spring-tilled soils.Key words: Soil preparation, herbicides, seeding date, Hordeum vulgare, barley