Date of Award

2018

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Plant Sciences

Department

Plant Sciences

College

Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources

Faculty Advisor

Gramig, Greta G.

Description

In the Northern Great Plains (NGP), weed management within organic systems remains a challenge. Experiments were conducted at two distinct sites in North Dakota to investigate effects of deep mulch no-till (NT) on soil quality indices, weed densities, and weed seedbank densities. We hypothesized that alfalfa mulch no-till and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculant would be associated with reductions in weed densities and improvements to soil quality and vegetable yield. NT treatments were associated with reductions in weed densities and time required for weeding, with improvements in soil quality, such as increased AMF biomass, and yield for snap pea, onion, beet, and butternut squash compared to tilled treatments. Our findings suggest deep mulch no-till using alfalfa residue may be a viable option for small-scale organic vegetable producers in the NGP. Additional research is required to determine costs associated with sowing, harvesting, baling, and applying alfalfa mulch compared to tilling.

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/28854

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