Effectiveness of Different Herbicide Applicators Mounted on a Roller/Crimper for Accelerated Termination of Rye Cover Crop

摘要

Under ideal weather conditions, a cash crop can be planted 3 weeks after rolling mature rye without using herbicides. However, cloudy and wet weather can delay the rolling and/or desiccation of rye thereby delaying cash crop planting which can negatively impact yield. One effective way to reduce the time between rolling and planting is to apply herbicide while rolling using a sprayer. However, a continuous spray may not be required if a roller is used. Two different methods of applying glyphosate to rolled rye were compared. First, a felt strip saturated with herbicide was attached to the rollers crimping bar and provided Roundup application with every crimp. The second method was a boom (five nozzles controlled by solenoid valves) mounted on the roller providing spray either continuously, every 2nd crimp or every 4th crimp. Results showed that 7 days after rolling, the highest rye termination rates were recorded for continuous spray (100%) and for spray every 4th crimp (98%). The Roundup saturated felt strip and 2nd crimp spray produced 96% termination rates. For roller/crimper alone and no-roller, termination rates were 92% and 70%, respectively. Since spraying Roundup every 4th crimp provided a 98% termination rate one week after rolling, it may be feasible to use this method to allow a cash crop to be planted in a timely fashion. One and two weeks after rolling, volumetric soil moisture content for all rolled rye/chemical treatments were significantly higher compared to standing rye.