Weed management

Soil cover conserves moisture, reduces temperature, intercepts raindrops (to reduce their destructive impact), suppresses weed growth, and provides habitat for members of the soil food web that spend at least some of their time above ground. This is true regardless of land use (cropland, hayland, pasture, or range). Keeping the soil covered while allowing crop residues to decompose (so their nutrients can be cycled back into the soil) can be a bit of a balancing act.

Mechanical weed control is the process of removing weeds from soil or other areas using physical means such as hand-weeding, hoeing, tilling, mulching, burning, pulling and cutting. It is a form of weed management that relies on physical manipulation of the environment to control the growth of weeds. 

This practice refers to planting a certain number of plants in a given area in order to optimize the growth of the plants and the yield of a crop. It is important to use appropriate planting densities as too few or too many plants can lead to overcrowding or competition for resources.