Band Sowing with Hoeing in Organic Grains: II. Evidence of Improved Weed Management in Spring Wheat, Oats, Field Peas, and Flax

The long-term success of weed management programs requires that all crops in a rotation receive satisfactory weed control. Band sowing with inter-band hoeing has been proposed as an innovative weed management strategy for grain crops. In the band-sowing system, crops are sown in a broadcast pattern within a band of some chosen width (here we selected 12.7 cm); weeds between bands are controlled with inter-band hoeing, with or without so-called “blind cultivation,” for example, tine harrowing. Alteration of the crop spatial arrangement from typical single-line rows to a more evenly distributed pattern aims to enhance interspecific competition while reducing intraspecific competition. Field experiments, conducted in Maine in 2016 and 2017, compared band sowing with inter-band hoeing to the region's standard practice of planting in 16.5-cm rows and tine harrowing in four test crops: spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Glenn'), oat (Avena sativa L. ‘Colt'), field pea (Pisum sativum L. ‘Jetset'), and flax (Linum usitatissimum L. ‘Prairie Thunder'). Band sowing improved weed control relative to the standard practice, especially in crops with greater competitive ability (wheat and oat). Despite improved weed control, in most cases, yields were unaffected by treatment. While band sowing with hoeing provided improved weed control in multiple crops, further study is warranted to optimize seeding rate, band width, and inter-band width to improve crop yields.