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Re: weed control
>Dear Kelly,
>
>While nutrient balance can certainly affect plant ecology and community
compostion (e.g. low K may favor grasses over legumes, and visa verse; or
high N may favor grasses, etc.), I see no reason to believe weeds , as a
class of plants, will be affected positively by imbalances that hurt crops,
or inibited by balanced nutrition that helps crops. After all, a weed is
simply a plant we didn't ask for. Many are very close relatives of our crop
plants, and will repsond to nutrient balance much like the crop. That is, a
well balanced, fertile field will grow an excellent crop...and crop of
weeds, too. There are a few special cases, though. For example, one could
use 3 to 4 lbs/acre of boron on a tolerant crop such as alfalfa, and create
soil boron levels that would kill off many less tolerant "weed" species.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>
>
>
>At 07:06 AM 4/17/97 cdt, you wrote:
>> I have had one of the county specialist contact me for information and
>> was hoping this group may be able to help me with an answer. Below is
>> the specific request from the specialist:
>>
>> "Weed control by balanced soil nutrients is a request by a producer
>> interested in a sustainable agriculture approach to weed control. He
>> feels that braodleaf weeds and grasses will thrive on soils that are
>> lacking nutrients in the correct amount and proportions. In my
>> opinion, this concept may or may not be the direction to reduced grass
>> and broadleaf weeds in our crops. Also, I am at a loss in finding
>> demonstrations that would support the idea. Your assistance with
>> literature about this topic will be appreciated."
>>
>> If anyone has any comments I can pass along, I would appreciate it.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Debi Kelly, Project Manager
>> Missouri Alternatives Center
>> 628 Clark Hall
>> Columbia, MO 65211
>> 573-882-1905
>> kellyd@ext.missouri.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
Ray R. Weil
Professor of Soil Science
Dept. of Natural Resource Sciences & LA
1103 H.J. Patterson Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
USA
telephone: 301 405 1314
FAX: 301 314 9041
e-mail: rw17@umail.umd.edu
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