Crops under rainfed cultivation
Mozhgan veisi; mehdi minbashi moeini; abdolvahab abdulahi; mahmoud moradi; soheila porheidar ghafarbi
Volume 14, Issue 2 , December 2025, Pages 149-168
Abstract
EXTENDED ABSTRACTIntroduction: One of the major problems in autumn-sown chickpea cultivation is the presence of high weed density, which leads to a severe reduction in the yield of rainfed chickpea. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate new pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides for controlling ...
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EXTENDED ABSTRACTIntroduction: One of the major problems in autumn-sown chickpea cultivation is the presence of high weed density, which leads to a severe reduction in the yield of rainfed chickpea. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate new pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides for controlling broadleaf weeds in rainfed chickpea cultivation. In this study, the efficacy of several herbicides applied as pre-emergence (aclonifen, flumioxazin, oxyfluorfen), post-emergence (aclonifen), early post-emergence (flumioxazin), and in combination (pre- and post-emergence) was investigated.Methodology: This experiment was conducted during the 2022-2023 growing season in the provinces of Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and East Azerbaijan, using a randomized complete block design. The treatments included: pre-emergence application of the herbicides flumioxazin (Clean-sheet, WP 50%) at a rate of 50 g active ingredient (a.i.) per hectare, oxyfluorfen (Goal, 24% EC) at 420 g a.i. ha-1, sulfentrazone (Spartan, WP 50%) at 100 g a.i. ha-1, aclonifen (Noagap, SC 600) at 1200 and 1800 g a.i. ha-1; post-emergence application of aclonifen at 300, 420, and 600 g a.i./ha; a combined treatment of pre-emergence flumioxazin (50 g a.i. ha-1) followed by post-emergence aclonifen (300 g a.i. ha-1); another combined treatment of pre-emergence flumioxazin (50 g a.i. ha-1) followed by post-emergence aclonifen (420 g a.i. ha-1); early post-emergence application of flumioxazin at 50 g a.i.ha-1; and a control treatment (manual weeding). Weed density and dry weight were determined per plot, and the grain yield and biomass of chickpea were measured per unit area.Research findings: The highest percentage of weed control in Kermanshah (93 to 96%), Kurdistan (70 to 85%), and East Azerbaijan (71 to 79%) was achieved by the treatments combining pre-emergence flumioxazin with post-emergence aclonifen. Furthermore, following the manually weeded control, the highest grain yield in Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and East Azerbaijan was recorded for the combined treatment of pre-emergence flumioxazin (50 g a.i. ha-1) followed by post-emergence aclonifen (300 g a.i. ha-1), with yields of 1409, 1293, and 982 kg ha-1, respectively. In general, the combined treatments of pre-emergence flumioxazin and post-emergence aclonifen, due to their broader spectrum of control against broadleaf weeds, provided more effective weed management and higher yields compared to the sole herbicide applications. This combination can be recommended for use in fields experiencing high weed density during the spring season.
Agronomy
Ramin Lotfi; Jafar Jafarzadeh; Mohammad Esmaeil Asadi; iraj eskandari
Volume 14, Issue 2 , December 2025, Pages 169-192
Abstract
Dryland farming face severe threats from climate change, including recurrent droughts and intense soil erosion, jeopardizing production sustainability. The future of Iran's dryland farming depends on adopting a wise management approach in which soil health, as the foundation of sustainable production, ...
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Dryland farming face severe threats from climate change, including recurrent droughts and intense soil erosion, jeopardizing production sustainability. The future of Iran's dryland farming depends on adopting a wise management approach in which soil health, as the foundation of sustainable production, must be placed at the core of all decision-making processes. Conservation agriculture (CA) is recognized as an effective sustainable management system to address these challenges, built on three core pillars: minimum soil mechanical disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation. This article reviews findings from four decades of field research by scientific centers, analyzing the environmental impacts and productivity outcomes of conservation agriculture systems across different Iranian climates. The evidence clearly demonstrates that conservation systems enhance soil organic matter and microbial activity, improve moisture retention and nutrient availability, and reduce soil erosion. Integrating leguminous crops (pulses and forages) into cereal-based rotations in drylands reduces the nutritional demand of cereal crops and contributes to production stability. No-till systems enhance sustainability by lowering direct energy input, improving water use efficiency, and managing crop residues. Although the primary goal of conservation agriculture is not yield maximization but rather yield stability and resource conservation, research confirms a significant climatic effect on the stability of rainfed crop production under such systems. Yield stabilization occurs more rapidly in temperate and semi-warm climates compared to cold regions under conservation practices. While initial yield reduction may occur during early years of no-till adoption particularly in cold climates appropriate crop rotation (e.g., chickpea–wheat) and effective management of residue cover and weeds can compensate for these losses in the medium term. Consequently, adopting climate-adapted conservation agriculture systems (tailored tillage and rotation practices) represents an effective strategy for achieving climate-resilient sustainable agriculture. However, scaling up these systems faces multiple barriers, including cereal-dominated cropping systems, shortage of specialized planting equipment, weed management challenges in rotational crops, livelihood dependence on crop residues, and lack of effective supportive policies. This paper emphasizes the need for an integrated national strategy encompassing development of local mechanization, strengthening extension–education systems, designing economic incentives, and reforming cropping patterns to facilitate the transition toward conservation-based sustainable agriculture on Iran’s drylands.
