Crops such as wheat and corn would fare better against weeds if growers abandoned the traditional approach of planting crops in rows, says research by the University of Copenhagen. “Our studies with wheat and corn show that tighter sowing in grid patterns supresses weed growth. This provides increased crop yields in fields prone to heavy amounts of weeds,” says professor Jacob Weiner, a plant ecologist and author of the study. Researchers experimented with wheat fields in Denmark and corn fields in Colombia.
When crops were planted closer together with modified sowing patterns, the amount of weeds was reduced by as much as 72 percent and yields increased by more than 45 percent in fields heavily infested by weeds. A key step is to give crops a head start over weeds.
The University of Copenhagen says the research could benefit growers who resort to herbicides to control weeds and to organic growers who use mechanical cultivation for weed control. “Our results make it possible for agriculture to be conducted in a far more sustainable manner while maintaining consistently high grain production. This requires affordable new technologies to make it practical out in farmers’ field,” said Weiner.