The Effect of Cover Crops and Integrated Control on Weed Management and Tuber Yield of Potato (Solanum tuberosum) in Different Tillage Systems

Considering the importance of conservation tillage and reduction of herbicide in the sustainable management of agricultural systems, use of cover crops can be considered as an alternative or supplement to control of weeds. A field experiment was conducted at the Research Station of Agricultural Faculty, of Bu-Ali Sina University, in 2013. The experiment was carried out as a split- split plot based on a randomized complete blocks design with three replications. The treatments included tillage systems at three levels (conventional tillage, minimum tillage and no-tillage) as main plots, three levels of cover crop (Vetch (vica villosa Roth), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and without cover crop) as subplot, and two levels of integrated control of weeds (weed control and weed free) as sub-sub plots. Barley and vetch cover crops combined with integrated weed control in conventional tillage system could completely control the weeds. Application of cover crops in the conventional tillage, reduced tillage and no tillage systems reduced Shannon-Wiener diversity index of weeds by 54.24, 33.78 and 54.84 percent, respectively. Reduction rate of diversity index using integrated control in the conventional tillage, reduced tillage and no-tillage systems compared to the control by 66.66, 61.74 and 56 percent, respectively. The highest tuber yield (63.74 Tons per hectare) was obtained in conventional tillage system application with vetch cover crop combined with integrated weed control that was about 55.81% more than that of no integrated weed control and no cover crops application, treatment.