Band herbicide application combined with inter-row cultivation as a sustainable weed management strategy for reducing herbicide use: A meta-analysis

Reducing herbicide use in cropping systems is an increasingly important objective in many regions of the world. Band herbicide application combined with mechanical cultivation in wide-row crop production reduces pro-duction costs, and the environmental and health hazards associated with herbicide use. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of band herbicide application on weed control efficacy and crop yields. The meta -analysis was conducted using 217 and 254 observations for weed control and crop yield, respectively, from 36 studies around the world. The selected effect size (ES) was the logn of the response ratio (RR), which is the mean of the band herbicide application divided by the mean of the broadcast (control) treatment. Weed density (weeds m-2), weed biomass (kg ha -1), weed cover (%), and crop yield (kg ha -1) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of band herbicide application. Data were analyzed using the OpenMee Meta-Analysis software. The meta analysis results showed that the band application of herbicides significantly lowered weed control (resulted in increased weed presence) and decreased crop yield when compared with the broadcast application of her-bicide. However, the effect of band herbicide application varied by crop species, herbicide application timing and rate, band spraying width, and inter-row cultivation pattern and frequency. Band herbicide application systems integrated with inter-row cultivation did not increase weed presence or reduce crop yield; thus, this practice has the potential for wider use in crop production systems.