An organic cereal row cropping system − A combination of relay undersown cover crop and inter-row hoeing for a balanced Nitrogen and weed management

Summary

This PhD thesis contains the new findings about a new row cropping system for organic cereal production. The tested row cropping system is feasible for the combination of inter-row hoeing and undersown cover crop for a more balanced N and weed management, which resulted in a yield improvement of the subsequent crop compared to the traditional system including autumn tillage or cover crop. Although the current design with spring inter-row hoeing and undersown cover crop was less effective than autumn tillage for the control of perennial creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense), there was a promising result of the red clover/orchard grass mixture and several possible options to further improve the weed control effect of the new system. Therefore, the new row cropping system is a promising cropping system for both effective N and weed management.