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Agronomy
Special Issues
Free from Herbicides: Ecological Weed Control
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Free from Herbicides: Ecological Weed Control

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Weed Science and Weed Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3636

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Giovanni Mauromicale

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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food, and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: agronomy; crop production; allelopathy; weed science; weed management; cover crops; fertilization; Cynara cardunculus; potato
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aurelio Scavo

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell’Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: agronomy; crop production; allelopathy; weed science; weed management; cover crops; fertilization; Cynara cardunculus; potato
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The European Grean Deal (Farm to Fork strategy) and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demand for eco-friendly strategies that can manage weeds without using synthetic herbicides. In this context, this Special Issue aims to collate a collection of studies that update the research progress on non-chemical weed control.

We invite you to share your contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics: (1) agroecological weed management; (2) the application of allelopathic mechanisms (the use of plant extracts, the set-up and use of new bioherbicides, and the integration of allelopathic plants in polycultural systems (such as cover crops, intercropping, and crop rotation)); (3) the improvement of crop competition against weeds; (4) the management of the soil seedbank; (5) weed associations and species composition; (6) the control of invasive weeds; and (7) the non-chemical control of parasitic weeds. Research papers, communications, and review articles are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Giovanni Mauromicale
Dr. Aurelio Scavo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • weed management
  • agroecology
  • allelopathy
  • bioherbicides
  • cover crops
  • soil seedbank
  • species composition
  • cultural methods

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1045 KiB  
Article
Leveraging Wheat Competition to Manage Seasonal Expansion of Feathertop Rhodes Grass (Chloris virgata)
by Alireza Hasanfard and Bhagirath Singh Chauhan
Agronomy 2024, 14(8), 1708; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081708 - 3 Aug 2024
Viewed by 545
Abstract
Utilizing the potential of crops to suppress weeds is an important strategy for sustainable management. Feathertop Rhodes grass (FTR) (Chloris virgata Sw.) is a problematic warm-season weed in Australia that has recently expanded into colder seasons. This study investigated the growth and [...] Read more.
Utilizing the potential of crops to suppress weeds is an important strategy for sustainable management. Feathertop Rhodes grass (FTR) (Chloris virgata Sw.) is a problematic warm-season weed in Australia that has recently expanded into colder seasons. This study investigated the growth and seed production of FTR at two planting times (May and July) and three wheat planting densities (0, 82, and 164 plants m−2) using a neighborhood design over two years. In both years, the plant height, tiller production, and panicle production of FTR were lower in the presence of wheat compared to when wheat was absent. Surrounding FTR with wheat delayed its pinnacle emergence, varying from 1 to 6 days in the first year and 4 to 21 days in the second year, depending on the planting date and wheat density. During both years and planting times, wheat’s presence caused approximately a 99% decrease in the dry matter and seed production of FTR compared to wheat’s absence. Additionally, the wheat height, an important competitive factor, was higher at both densities in the May planting compared to the July planting. The emergence, establishment, and continuous production of FTR seeds throughout the year indicate that inadequate management could result in the further spread of this weed. Our findings suggest that adjusting the date and density of wheat planting could be a viable strategy for sustainably managing this weed during colder seasons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Free from Herbicides: Ecological Weed Control)
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16 pages, 2788 KiB  
Article
An Ecological Weed Control Strategy in Paddy Fields: Light Interception from Duckweed Mulching
by Shuhan Xu, Feng Wang, Yuling Ding, Wenchao Liu, Yiyu Lan, Qingqing Jia, Peng Sun and Zhimin Sha
Agronomy 2024, 14(4), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040670 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1398
Abstract
Rice–duckweed coculturing as an advanced technique has proven effective for weed control. However, the complex environmental interactions underlying its effectiveness remain unclear. In this study, a controlled pot experiment was conducted to isolate the shading effect of duckweeds (Landoltia punctata and Spirodela [...] Read more.
Rice–duckweed coculturing as an advanced technique has proven effective for weed control. However, the complex environmental interactions underlying its effectiveness remain unclear. In this study, a controlled pot experiment was conducted to isolate the shading effect of duckweeds (Landoltia punctata and Spirodela polyrhiza) from their intricate environmental interactions with paddy weeds (Cyperus difformis, Eclipta prostrata, and Ammannia auriculata). The results revealed that as the duckweeds grew, there were notable decreases in total weed density (52.41–77.01%) and biomass (42.33–99.23%) while rice biomass remained unaffected. Duckweed covering allowed less than 8.64% of light to pass through and led to decreases in environmental temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen concentration in the floodwater, but had little impact on inorganic nitrogen levels. Through screening with random forest analysis and structural equation modelling, it was found that weed density and biomass were predominantly influenced by the reduced light transmittance (54.1% and 77.2%, p ≤ 0.001) resulting from duckweed covering while the decline in dissolved oxygen content partly influenced weed density (18%). In conclusion, this study’s results bring a different perspective, confirming the sunlight-shading effect of duckweed as a critical mechanism significantly inhibiting the germination and growth of weeds. These findings provide a scientific basis for the improved application of ecological weed control methods in paddy fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Free from Herbicides: Ecological Weed Control)
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11 pages, 2161 KiB  
Article
Allelopathic Activity of Three Wild Mediterranean Asteraceae: Silybum marianum, Cynara cardunculus var. sylvestris, Galactites tomentosus
by Mirko La Iacona, Sara Lombardo, Giovanni Mauromicale, Aurelio Scavo and Gaetano Pandino
Agronomy 2024, 14(3), 575; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14030575 - 13 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1254
Abstract
The manipulation of allelopathic mechanisms, such as the isolation of plant allelochemicals for bioherbicide production, is currently providing a new tool for weed management methods of reducing or potentially eliminating the use of synthetic herbicides. In Mediterranean agroecosystems, wild Asteraceae are the prevalent [...] Read more.
The manipulation of allelopathic mechanisms, such as the isolation of plant allelochemicals for bioherbicide production, is currently providing a new tool for weed management methods of reducing or potentially eliminating the use of synthetic herbicides. In Mediterranean agroecosystems, wild Asteraceae are the prevalent taxa, likely due to their allelopathic activity. Hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate the allelopathic effects of the aqueous extracts obtained from milk thistle [Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn], wild cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L. var. sylvestris) and purple milk thistle (Galactites tomentosus Moench) on the seed germination, mean germination time, and seedling growth of three target weeds: Portulaca oleracea L., Taraxacum officinale (Weber) ex Wiggers and Anagallis arvensis L. The total polyphenol (TP), flavonoid (TF), flavonol (TFL), and phenolic acid (TPA) content in the aqueous extracts was also evaluated. Overall, the allelopathic effects were species-dependent and root length was the most affected parameter. All extracts completely inhibited root development in P. oleracea. Averaged over target weeds, C. cardunculus extract had the greatest allelopathic activity, followed by G. tomentosus and by S. marianum. In particular, C. cardunculus reduced seed germination by over 50% and increased the mean germination time by 154%, likely due to the highest TP (13.2 g kg−1 DM) and TPA (11.4 g kg−1 DM) content, compared to the other Asteraceae species. These results provide evidence of the phytotoxic activity of the three wild Asteraceae members and suggest their possible future exploitation as potential bioherbicides for sustainable weed management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Free from Herbicides: Ecological Weed Control)
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