1Dept.artment of Genetic and Plant Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2Deptartment of Plant Protection, Ardabil Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centre, AREEO, Moghan, Iran
3Department of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mzumbe University, Morogoro, Tanzania
4Department of Agronomy and Agroforestry, Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, India
5Department of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
*Corresponding author: r.fakhari68@gmail.com
The study was conducted at Mohaghegh Ardabili University during the 2022 and 2023 rain seasons to evaluate the effectiveness of different potato cultivars and cover crop mulches in managing weeds. The experiment was structured as a split plot with three replications, featuring three potato varieties: Agria, Jely, and Lady Rosetta. The weed management strategies included rye (Secale cereal L.), Berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), paraquat herbicide, a weed-free control, and a weedy check. Results indicated that the Lady Rosetta cultivar combined with rye cover crop provided the best weed control, resulting in a total weed density of 22.5 plants /m2 and a dry weight of 225.33 g/ m2, alongside a potato tuber yield of71.t/ ha. In contrast, the Jely cultivar paired with paraquat herbicide exhibited the weakest performance, with a total weed density of 49.66 plants / m2, a dry weight of 605.33 g/ m2, and a yield of 37.6t/ ha. Notably, the highest density and dry weight of problematic weeds, such as pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), were observed in the Jely × weedy check treatment. Analysis of variance revealed significant effects of the treatments on plant height, tuber greening percentage, average tuber weight per plant, tuber number, and overall yield. The interaction between cultivar and management practices showed that, excluding the weed-free treatment, the Lady Rosetta × Rye combination resulted in superior plant height, soil coverage percentage, tuber weight, and number compared to other treatments.
⓿ The study evaluated the effectiveness of different potato cultivars and cover crop mulches in managing weeds.
⓿ Lady Rosetta cultivar combined with rye cover crop provided the best weed control while Jely cultivar paired with paraquat herbicide exhibited the weakest performance.
⓿ The highest density and dry weight of problematic weeds were observed in the Jely × weedy check
⓿ The Lady Rosetta × Rye combination resulted in superior plant height, soil coverage percentage, tuber weight, and number compared to other treatments.
Agria, Berseem clover, Paraquat herbicide, Sustainable agriculture
