ABSTRACT
Weed growth in an agroecological system and crop yields are inversely related; so, knowledge on weed dynamics and weed management are vital for achieving the possible yield gains in conservation agriculture (CA) systems. Crop residues placed on the soil surface affects weed seed germination through changes in the seed physical and chemical environment. Crop rotation and retaining surface residue in crop fields are two important factors for weed management in conservation agriculture system. Growing crops in rotations, with different planting dates is the key factor in reducing the size of the weed seedbank, because it changes the timing of field activities. Crop density increase hastens resource use by the crop compared to weeds, and may be useful in such condition. In cultural practices for weed management under CA include - adjusting the crop planting date, modifications of planting density, and/or spatial arrangement, resource management, cultivar selection, preventing weed seed introduction, and planned and purposeful crop rotations.
