Yield of spring wheat grown in short-term monoculture depending on catch crop and weed control method

A two-factor field experiment included different types of stubble catch crops ploughed in every year (no catch crop ? control treatment, white mustard, lacy phacelia, a mixture of legumes – narrow-leaf lupin + field pea) as well as different methods of weed control in spring wheat crops (mechanical weed control, mechanical and chemical weed control, chemical weed control). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of selected stubble catch crops and weed control methods on the grain yield and some yield elements in spring wheat grown in a short-term monoculture. Irrespective of the weed control method, the mixture of narrow-leaf lupin with field pea resulted in a significant 9.2% increase in the spring wheat grain yield compared to the treatment without stubble catch crop. It was also proved that the yield declined by, respectively, 6.5 and 5.4% after white mustard and lacy phacelia cover crops compared to the treatment with the mixture of legumes. The highest spring wheat grain yield was found in the treatment with complete mechanical and chemical weed control in spring wheat crops