Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations

Barbara Baraibar, Charles M. White, Mitchell C. Hunter, Denise M. Finney, Mary E. Barbercheck, Jason P. Kaye, William S. Curran, Jess Bunchek and David A. Mortensen
Additional contact information
Barbara Baraibar: Department of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
Charles M. White: Department of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
Mitchell C. Hunter: American Farmland Trust, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Denise M. Finney: Department of Biology, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA
Mary E. Barbercheck: Department of Entomology, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
Jason P. Kaye: Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
William S. Curran: Department of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
Jess Bunchek: Department of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
David A. Mortensen: Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the role of cover cropping is to supplement ecosystem service provisioning, we were interested in assessing the impacts of weeds on such provisioning. To our knowledge, no research has examined how weeds in cover crops may impact the provision of ecosystem services and disservices. Here, we review services and disservices associated with weeds in annual agroecosystems and present two case studies from the United States to illustrate how weeds growing in fall-planted cover crops can provide ground cover, decrease potential soil losses, and effectively manage nitrogen. We argue that in certain circumstances, weeds in cover crops can enhance ecosystem service provisioning. In other circumstances, such as in the case of herbicide-resistant weeds, cover crops should be managed to limit weed biomass and fecundity. Based on our case studies and review of the current literature, we conclude that the extent to which weeds should be allowed to grow in a cover crop is largely context-dependent.

Keywords: ecosystem services; soil erosion; cover; nutrient management; trade-offs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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