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Abstract
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An ecological approach to weed management involves reducing crop-weed competition by maximizing resource partitioning,
which occurs when species differ in their means of acquiring limited resources. This study was conducted to
investigate the effectiveness of organic and inorganic fertilizers for weed management in weed-infested industrial hemp
fields and to determine the impact of prickly Russian thistle interference on industrial hemp competitiveness at different
densities. Experiments were done as a split-plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The factors
were fertilization (poultry manure, vermicompost, and nitrogen fertilizer) as the main plot and weed density (0, 5, 10,
15, and 20 plants m−2) as the subplot. All data were subjected to a combined analysis of variance using the PROC GLM
procedure in SAS version 9.2.0 Statistical Software. The maximum fiber yield, seed oil content, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic
acids were obtained using organic fertilizers, particularly vermicompost, and were reduced with nitrogen fertilizer.
In contrast, the lowest palmitic and stearic acid contents were related to poultry manure and vermicompost. All measured
traits in hemp plants decreased with increasing prickly Russian thistle density, especially at 15 and 20 plants m−2, except
for palmitic and stearic acids. Despite similar final yield losses, applying organic fertilizers, particularly vermicompost,
resulted in greater fiber yield, seed oil yield, and higher unsaturated fatty acid content, as well as lower saturated fatty
acid content, compared to the nitrogen fertilizer treatment, even at higher weed densities. In contrast, the lowest fiber
yield, seed oil content, and oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids were observed when nitrogen fertilizer treatment was applied
at high weed density. Organic fertilizers, especially vermicompost, reduced the competition imposed by prickly Russian
thistle on industrial hemp yields and altered the fatty acid c
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