effect of cover crops and row space on weed control and potato yield

given the importance of sustainable agricultural development, using non-chemical weed management such as cover crops and decreasing row spacing has an importance in weed control and reducing herbicide use. in order to an experiment was conducted at agricultural research site in agricultural college, university of mohaghegh ardabili in 2011. the experiment done as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications. factors were cover crops at four levels (rye, wheat, red clover and without cover crop) and row space at three levels (45, 60 and 75 cm). results showed that cover crop and row space had a significant effect on weed density, weed dry weight, shanon-wiener index and potato yield. cover crop reduced weed density 48.5% compared with check. increasing row spacing from 45 cm to 75 cm, weed density was decreased 3 times. maximum potato yield achieved in plots with cover crop and 65 cm row space. these data indicate that cover crops or narrow row space can help non-chemical weed management in sustainable agriculture.