Nosratti, I.; Korres, N.E.; Cordeau, S. Knowledge of Cover Crop Seed Traits and Treatments to Enhance Weed Suppression: A Narrative Review. Agronomy2023, 13, 1683.
Nosratti, I.; Korres, N.E.; Cordeau, S. Knowledge of Cover Crop Seed Traits and Treatments to Enhance Weed Suppression: A Narrative Review. Agronomy 2023, 13, 1683.
Nosratti, I.; Korres, N.E.; Cordeau, S. Knowledge of Cover Crop Seed Traits and Treatments to Enhance Weed Suppression: A Narrative Review. Agronomy2023, 13, 1683.
Nosratti, I.; Korres, N.E.; Cordeau, S. Knowledge of Cover Crop Seed Traits and Treatments to Enhance Weed Suppression: A Narrative Review. Agronomy 2023, 13, 1683.
Abstract
Cover crops as living plant or mulch can suppress weeds by reducing weed germination, emergence and growth, either through direct competition for resources, allelopathy, or by providing a physical barrier to emergence. Farmers implementing conservation agriculture, organic farming or agroecological principles are increasingly adopting cover crop as part of their farming strategy. However, cover crop adoption remains limited by poor and/or unstable establishment in dry conditions, weediness of cover crop volunteers is subsequent cash crops, and seed cost. This study is the first one to review the literature on seed traits of cover crops, their germination response to different biotic and abiotic factors aiming to improve seed germination and seedling establishment. Knowledge on seed traits would be helpful in choosing suitable cover crop species and/or mixture adapted to specific environments. Such information is crucial to improve cover crops establishment, growth, provision of ecosystem services, while allowing farmers to save seeds and therefore money. We discuss how to improve cover crop establishment by seed priming and coating, and appropriate seed sowing depth. Here, three cover crop families namely Poaceae, Brassicaceae, and Fabaceae, were examined in terms of seed traits and response to environmental conditions. The review showed that seed traits related to germination are crucial as they affect the germination timing and establishment of the cover crop, consequently soil coverage uniformity, factors that directly related to their suppressive effect on weeds. Poaceae and Brassicaceae exhibit higher germination percentage than Fabaceae under water deficit conditions. Seed dormancy of some Fabaceae species/cultivars limits their agricultural use of as cover crops because the domestication of some wild ecotypes is not complete. Understanding genetic and environmental regulating seed dormancy is necessary. Appropriate selection of cover crop cultivars is crucial to improve cover crop establishment and provide multiple ecosystem services including weed suppression, particularly in a climate change context.
Biology and Life Sciences, Agricultural Science and Agronomy
Copyright:
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