Weed Population Response to Different Tillage Methods in a Sugar Beet Cropping System under Semi-Arid Conditions

Filed experiments were carried out to study the weed population response to different tillage methods in a sugar beet cropping system under semi-arid conditions during 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. Tillage treatments were moldboard plow + two passes of disk harrow (MDD) as conventional tillage method; moldboard plow + one pass of rotavator (MR), chisel plow + one pass of rotavator (CR) and two passes of disk harrow (DD) as reduced tillage methods; one pass of rotavator (R) and one pass of tine cultivator (C) as minimum tillage methods and no-tillage (NT). Two indices of weed population, i.e. number of weeds and dry mass of weeds per square meters were determined for different tillage treatments. Statistical results of study indicated that although effect of different tillage methods on both indices of weed population was not significant (P 0.05); tillage operations were useful in decreasing both indices.