Use of competitive crops to reduce Cirsium arvense

Summary

Cirsium arvense is difficult to control and mechanical control may result in yield loss or nutrient leaching. Growing a competitive crop such as grass clover has earlier been seen to reduce the infestation. This paper describes a test of different competitive crops (oilseed rape and fibre hemp) comparing the infestation with that occurring with one or two years of grass clover. Oilseed rape did not grow well and was not very competitive, while C. arvense infestation was reduced the year after growing fibre hemp or grass-clover.