Designing mixtures to control weed pressure (ReMIX Practice abstract)

Summary

Outcome
Although the regulation of weed pressure is difficult to quantify for living mulch, ongoing experiments show that living mulch can cover up to 95% of the soil surface during the intercropping period.
Practical recommendations
- Perennial forage legume species can be sown in a first cash crop, for example, red or white clovers established in winter wheat at the end of winter in organic farming or clovers or lucerne sown at the same time as oilseed rape in conventional farming.
- After harvesting, the living mulch (e.g. clovers) keeps growing during the intercropping period, especially if the summer weather is not too dry.
- The cover crop can then be destroyed before establishing the following crop or be kept alive during part or the entire cycle of the second crop. In organic farming, the cover crop must be destroyed before sowing the second crop since its development cannot be suppressed with herbicides. In conventional farming, more and more farmers are testing this practice. The biomass of the living mulch shouldn’t exceed 1 ton per hectare, at the wheat flowering stage, for optimal wheat growth.
Practical testing/ Farmers’ experiences
We recommend that you test this method under your own farm conditions. Visit the farmknowledge platform to share your experiences with other farmers, advisors, and scientists!