Weeds – Friend or foe? Increasing forage yield and decreasing nitrate leaching on a corn forage farm infested by redroot pigweed.

Highlights: [•] Weeds can be a friend of the agroecosystem rather than a foe. [•] First report of corn–pigweed mixture response to different water regimes and N rates. [•] The corn–pigweed mixture was superior to the corn in terms of input use efficiency. [•] The N leaching intensity decreased in the presence of weeds and in response to N. [•] Corn and weed cooperation to produce high quantity and quality forage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]