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A combination of bacterial products and cover crops as an innovative method of weed control in organic spring barley
The Use of a Composition of Bacterial Consortia and Living Mulch to Reduce Weeds in Organic Spring Barley Cultivation as an Element of Sustainable Plant Production
Weed infestation of cereal crops in organic farming is becoming a serious problem in agriculture. Sustainable agriculture requires the search for and implementation of crop management techniques that will reduce weeds without negatively impacting the environment. This research refers to the principles of integrated plant protection in sustainable agriculture, allowing the use of chemical plant protection products to be limited to the absolute minimum. Technology for growing spring barley based on the use of bacterial consortia in combination with living mulch (LM) can be an interesting approach to this problem. The aim of this three-year field research was to determine the effects of bacterial consortia and LM on the level of weed infestation in the organic spring barley crop. Two factors were tested in the experiment: bacterial consortia factors: control (without bacterial consortia); 1—Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum and Arthrobacter agilis; 2—Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Pseudomonas fluorescens; and LM: control (without LM); red clover; red clover + Italian ryegrass; and Italian ryegrass. This research demonstrated that the bacterial consortia tested significantly reduced both the biomass and number of weeds, including the following dominant weeds: Chenopodium album, Sinapis arvensis, Elymus repens, and Tripleurospermum inodorum. The use of LM also significantly reduced the weed infestation of spring barley stands. The lowest biomass and number of weeds, with the exception of Elymus repens, were recorded on objects with LM Italian ryegrass in spring barley in combination with bacterial consortium 2. The introduction of cultivation with LM Italian ryegrass or its mixture with red clover and the use of bacteria should be recommended for the practice of sustainable agriculture, which will reduce weeds through an ecological method.
The Problem of Weed Infestation of Agricultural Plantations vs. the Assumptions of the European Biodiversity Strategy
Meeting the nutritional needs of a dynamically developing global society is a major challenge. Despite the modernisation of agriculture, huge losses in the quality and quantity of crops occur each year, mainly due to weed species, which are the most important biotic limitation to agricultural production. Globally, approximately 1800 weed species cause a 31.5% reduction in plant production, which translates to USD 32 billion per year in economic losses. However, when the same herbicides are frequently applied, plants develop segetal immune mechanisms. There are currently around 380 herbicide-resistant weed biotypes worldwide. Due to the negative influence of herbicides on ecosystems and the legal regulations that limit the use of chemical crop protection products, it is necessary to develop a new method of weed control. Bioherbicides, based on living organisms or their secondary metabolites, seem to be an ideal solution. The biocontrol market is worth around EUR 550 million in Europe and EUR 1.6 billion worldwide, with an estimated 15% growth expected by 2025. Despite numerous studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of microbial bioherbicides, only 25 mould-based bioherbicides are currently available to growers. Due to the high specificity and selectivity of biological crop protection products, as well as their low production costs and non-toxicity to the environment and human health, they would appear to be a safe alternative to chemical pesticides.