THE COMPARISON OF CARAWAY CROPS WEEDINESS AND SEED YIELD IN MULTI-CROPS

Abstract

The field experiment conducted at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy in 2019–2021. The aim of experiment was to determine species of weeds, their quantity and the dry matter mass of weeds, to evaluate yields of caraway seeds in multi-crops. Scentless mayweed (Tripleurospermum perforatum Merat M. Lainz), goosefoot (Chenopodium album L.) and shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris L. Medik.) spread the most in multi-crops. During the main crops cultivation, it was estimated that the number of weeds was from 3.5 to 7.5 higher in binary (spring barley-caraway, spring wheat-caraway) and in trinary crops (spring barley-caraway-clovers, spring wheat-caraway-clovers) than in sole crops. In the second and third year of caraway growing, it was estimated that higher number of weeds was in binary crops than in sole and trinary crops. It was estimated, that the dry biomass of weeds was from 1.9 to 32.0 higher in binary (spring barley-caraway, spring wheat-caraway) and trinary crops than in sole crops, during the main crops cultivation. In the second and third year of caraway growing, in binary and trinary crops the dry biomass of weeds was found to be significantly higher than in sole crops. The highest yield of caraway seeds was formed by growing them in a trinary crop together with white clover after spring barley.