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In this presentation, the outcomes of a specific EWRS regional meeting organized by the Working Group »Optimization of Herbicide Use in an IWM context« are documented. Data were obtained by a questionnaire survey and a face-to-face group discussion. The idiosyncratic structure and systemic nature of IWM systems, as compared with other IPM systems, draws on many strategies with a combination and integration of single weed management tactics at temporal and spatial scale. The questionnaire included queries with multiple-choice predefined answers and left space for open answers. All those were given a significance score value (1 to 5). During the meeting, the face-to-face group discussion was aimed on the fine elaboration, sorting and ranking of the major weed problems and obstacles for IWM systems implementation in South East European countries. Regional South East countries address the IWM by different approaches based on their status towards EU. Countries outside the EU, have set up voluntary public and private entities to promote IWM whereas Member States of the EU have implemented the Sustainable Use Directive (Dir. 2009/128/EC) aiming to regulate use of pesticides (herbicides, in particular), and are required to set up National Plans. Regional cropping systems frequently face similar (more or less) major weed problems and IWM challenges, research needs and priorities and extension services upgrades to tackle IWM implementation. Identifying the current obstacles and propose measures to eliminate them would boost national efforts as they could benefit from a common IWM framework and transnationally approaches.

Conservative soil tillage (minimum tillage and no-tillage) are considered among the most important components of conservation agriculture. Their research and extension was imposed especially in hilly areas with specific problems of desertification (erosion, drought) as bioremedial measures. Our research follows the effects of the three tillage systems: conventional systems, minimum tillage and no-tillage on soil properties (bulk density, penetration resistance, temperature and moisture, soil respiration) and on the production of wheat, maize and soybean, obtained on an Argic Faeoziom from the Somes Plateau. Average soil bulk density grows, compared to the conventional system (1.20-1.24 g/cm3 ), in all variants with minimum tillage (1.22-1.32 g/cm3 ); the highest growth is recorded at no-tillage, being 1.35- 1.38 g/cm3 with statistically significant positive differences. Soil moisture increases in all variants with minimum and no-tillage with different percentages, ranging from 1-15% v/v, compared to the conventional system. This is also reflected in the values of resistance to penetration. Tillage appeared to affect the timing rather than the total amount of CO2 production: the daily average is lower at no-tillage (315-1914 mmoles m-2s -1), followed by minimum tillage (318- 2395 mmoles m-2s -1) and is higher in the conventional system (321-2480 mmoles m-2s -1). Productions obtained at minimum tillage and no-tillage did not have significant differences for the wheat culture but were higher for soybean. The differences in crop yields were recorded at maize and can be a direct consequence of loosening, mineralization and intensive mobilization of soil fertility.