COVER CROP MANAGEMENT IN NO-TILL TOBACCO

Abstract The use of no-till tobacco production systems provides opportunities to minimize soil erosion and reduce production costs. Based on the potential benefits associated with no-till in tobacco production and additional weed management opportunities available, research was initiated to evaluate tobacco crop growth, yield, and quality as well as new weed management opportunities in no-till tobacco production. In this study, wheat was planted as a winter cover crop and destroyed prior to transplanting in order to obtain three wheat residue levels. Medium and high wheat residue levels were obtained by applying a pre-plant burn-down herbicide at either 30 or 15 d before planting, respectively, with no subsequent tillage operations during the growing season. The low wheat residue treatment consisted of conventional tillage operations used to incorporate wheat residue and prepare the seed bed for tobacco transplanting. Two pre-emergence herbicide programs (sulfentrazone + clomazone and sulfentrazone + pend...