Investigating mycelial-crop residue mat application to reduce early-colonizing weeds in row-crop agriculture
Abstract
Herbicide use within conventional agriculture has contributed to greatly increased crop yields since its widespread adoption, but environmental concerns regarding overuse and reliance on selective herbicides continue to mount. Using five fungal species and two crop residues in a factorial design, I created a novel slurry to control weeds through inhibition by the mycelial mat formed after application to soil. I monitored weed stem counts and the strength of the mycelial mat under the treatments. Additionally, as a proxy for crop yield, I measured the wet and dry mass of crop plant grown under application treatments. Weed prevalence was significantly reduced when compared to a bare soil control, but not when compared to a substrate only control without fungal inoculum. Similar strength values were recorded between treatments and control, suggesting poor colonization of the substrate under greenhouse and field conditions. No significant weed reduction was achieved in field trials.