The impact of bio-activators and non-chemical weed control systems on winter oilseeed rape productivity and soil properties

Abstract

Organic farming is spreading because of the concerns about environment protection, health issues, and search for ways of novel social problem-solving methods. The cultivation of organic oilseed rape in farms boosted the requirement for the healthy, pesticide residues free food. The objective of these investigations was to determine the impact of bio-activators and non-chemical weed control systems on winter oilseed rape (Brasica napus L.) seeds yield and soil biological properties in the organic farming. The field experiment was conducted in 2014 and 2015 at the Experimental Station of Aleksandras Stulginskis University. Soil – Calc(ar)i-Endohypogleyic Luvisol. Treatments of the experiment: factor A: weed control systems: 1) thermal (water steam), 2) mechanical (inter-row loosening), 3) smothering (self-regulation); factor B: bio-activators: 1) no application, 2) with application. It was established that significantly highest yield of the winter oilseed rape seeds was obtained in plots where mechanical weed control method was used, it was from 11.7 to 56.8 % higher compared with plots where thermal weed control method and smothering was used. The use of bio-activators, as compared to their non-use, significantly increased the yield of oilseed rape seeds in the plots where thermal (43.4 %) and mechanical (25.1 %) weed control was used. The yield of oilseed rape seeds depended on the crop density (r = 0.86, P < 0.05)