Interaction of Some Cultural Practices and Reduced Herbicide Rates Used for Water Conservation Through Weed Control

In the context of increasing agricultural plant productivity and crop yields, water losses due to weeds pose a significant constraint. Therefore, this review aims to examine weed-induced water losses and evaluate the potential of various cultural practices (mulching, green manures, cover crops, crop rotation, and intercropping) in combination with reduced herbicide rates for sustainable soil water conservation through effective weed management. The published literature indicates that surface mulches (plastic and organic layers) and cover crop residues exhibit the strongest empirical support for simultaneous weed suppression and direct evaporation reduction. The duration of weed control depends heavily on biomass composition, where high-lignin biomass extends the active physical suppression window compared with rapidly degrading, low-lignin tissues. Integrating these cultural practices with low-input herbicide programs makes a 30% to 50% reduction in pre- and post-emergence herbicide rates highly realistic under field conditions without compromising crop yields. Finally, this review addresses critical agronomic trade-offs, as well, such as physical herbicide interception by residues, and highlights future horizons for pairing these integrated cultural tactics with advanced precision weed-management technologies to secure long-term agroecosystem resilience and soil water conservation.