BANDED HERBICIDE APPLICATIONS AND CULTIVATION IN A MODIFIED NO-TILL CORN (ZEA-MAYS) SYSTEM

The acceptance of no-till crop production systems has been limited due to expected problems with weed management. Field experiments were established at two locations in Ontario in 1988 and one location in 1989. Band or broadcast applications of preemergence (PRE) combinations of high or low label rates of atrazine with or without metolachlor or inter-row cultivation, were evaluated for their effectiveness in controlling annual weeds in no-till com. At each location, different herbicide and cultivation combinations were required to achieve adequate weed control. Com grain yield was equivalent regardless of whether herbicides were applied as a band or broadcast treatment at all three sites. At two of the three sites, one cultivation combined with herbicides applied as a band was adequate to maintain weed control and com grain yields. Selective application of herbicides in bands represented an approximate 60% reduction in total herbicide applied into the environment. The integration of a shallow post-plant inter-row cultivation combined with the soil conservation attributes of no-till, would enhance the sustainability of a modified no-fill com production system.