Municipal solid waste compost suppresses weeds in vegetable crop alleys

• Published in: HortScience Vol. 28; no. 12; pp. 1171 - 1172
• Main Authors: Roe, Nancy E, Stoffella, Peter J, Bryan, Herbert H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Society for Horticultural Science 01.12.1993
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; aprovechamiento de desechos; Biological and medical sciences; Biological control and other methods; capsicum annuum; chemical control; compost; composts; control cultural; control quimico; cubrimiento del suelo; cultural control; dechet solide; desechos solidos; desherbage; escarda; florida; floride; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; glifosato; glyphosate; lutte chimique; lutte culturale; mulching; paillage; Parasitic plants. Weeds; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; plant production; produccion vegetal; production vegetale; solid wastes; utilisation des dechets; waste utilization; weed control; Weeds; Waste utilization; Urban waste; Systemic; Field experiment; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Capsicum annuum; Solanaceae; Mulching; Land disposal; Cultural practice; Compost; Weed control; Field crop; Cultural control; Alley cropping; Treatment efficiency; Cropping system; Soil management; Herbicide; Vegetable crop; Aminoacid; Solid waste; Flavoring crop; Spermatophyta; Comparative study; Chemical weed control
• ISSN: 0018-5345; 2327-9834
• DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.28.12.1171

A mulch of municipal solid waste compost at 224 t.ha-1 was compared with glyphosate sprays and a nontreated check for weed control in vegetable crop bed alleys during Spring and Summer 1992. In both experiments, there was a significantly lower percentage of weed coverage in the compost mulch and herbicide spray plots than in the control plots. Weed control in the compost and herbicide treatments was similar. In the spring experiment, tractor tire traffic through the alleys reduced weed growth in all plots by 62% and 44% at 16 and 73 days after treatment initiation, respectively. These results suggest that municipal solid waste compost may have potential as a viable mulch for weed control in vegetable crop alleys.