Weed control by subsurface drip irrigation

Irrigation water management was tested as an ecologically sound and effective method to control annual weeds in summer row crops. Furrow, sprinkler, and subsurface drip irrigation techniques were evaluated in tomoato fields. The total mass of weeds produced per surface area in fields irrigated by subsurface drip were several orders of magnitude less than were produced under the two other irrigation methods. There was no difference in weed growth between herbicide-treated and untreated subsurface drip plots, indicating that herbicides were not needed to control weeds with this method. The tomatoes appeared to mature more rapidly under subsurface drip than by the other methods.