Effect of living mulches and conventional methods of weed control on weed occurrence and nutrient uptake in potato

The aim of the study was to determine the biomass, abundance and species composition ofweeds, as well as macroelement uptake in potato weeded using mechanical, mechanical–chemical and mechanical control combined with the sowing of living mulches of white mustard,common vetch, Persian clover and tansy phacelia. Abundance and biomass of the weeds was themost effectively limited by the mechanical treatments. The effectiveness of mechanicaltreatments in weed biomass reduction was 2.5–fold lower. The mechanical treatments moreeffectively limited the number of monocotyledonous than dicotyledonous weeds. Livingmulches increased the efficiency of mechanical weeding by affecting both weed biomassdevelopment and weeds abundance. The living mulch that most effectively limited the growthof weed biomass was white mustard, while vetch was effective to reduce of the number ofmonocotyledonous weed and Persian clover for dicotyledonous weeds. The most frequentlyoccurring weed species were Galinsoga parviflora, Chenopodium album and Echinochloacrus-galli. The share of N accumulated in the biomass of neighboring plants constituted from5% to 34%, P from 6% to 38%, K from 5% to 36%, Ca from 27% to 190% and Mg from 12% to55% of the amount of these nutrients absorbed by potato plants. Mechanical treatments plusliving mulches, especially Persian clover, may be useful in organic cropping systems due totheir effectiveness at reducing weed abundance and biomass and relatively low nutrient uptakecompared with weeds.