Weed control in organic agriculture using cover crops

Abstract

Pokrovni usjevi imaju nezamjenjivu ulogu u ekološkoj poljoprivredi zbog brojnih prednosti koje donose i smatraju se okosnicom svake biljne proizvodnje koja teži održivosti. Najproučavanija su metoda u kontroli zakorovljenosti u ekološkoj zaštiti bilja. Ovaj rad za cilj je imao prikazati problematiku zakorovljenosti u ekološkoj poljoprivredi i istaknuti značaj korova kao čimbenika koji nanosi najveće gubitke u proizvodnji. Pregledom znanstvene literature prikazana je uloga pokrovnih usjeva u agroekosustavu općenito i načini kojima ove biljne vrste utječu na smanjenje zakorovljenosti. Pokrovni usjevi imaju brojne načine upotrebe i donose višestruku korist održivosti i stabilnosti ekološke poljoprivredne proizvodnje te su njena nezamjenjiva sastavnica. U svrhu kontrole zakorovljenosti koriste se kao malčevi koji kroz opisane mehanizme djeluju suzbijajuće na korovne vrste kroz izravnu kompeticiju za osnovne resurse, mijenjanjem uvjeta sredine u kojoj se korovi razvijaju te alelopatijom.Cover crops play an irreplaceable role in organic farming because of the many benefits they bring and are considered as the backbone of any crop that goes towards sustainability. Cover crops are the most studied method as the weed control method in organic plant protection. The aim of this paper is to highlight the problem of weediness in organic farming and to highlight the importance of weeds as a factor causing the greatest losses in agricultural production. A review of the scientific literature reveals the role of cover crops in the agroecosystem in general and the ways in which these plant species influence the reduction of weeds. Cover crops have numerous ways of uses and bring multiple benefits to the sustainability and stability of organic farming and are an indispensable component of it. For the purpose of weed supression, they are used as mulches which, through the mechanisms described, act to suppress weed species through direct competition for basic resources, changing the conditions of the environment in which weeds develop and allelopathy