The chemical control of Sorghum halepense species in sunflower culture, in the Danube meadow

In the latest years, sunflower was cultivated in Romania on an area of 800-900 thousand hectares. On 100 or 150 thousand hectares we find it cultivated also in agricultural farms in the Danube Meadow, because sunflower has favorable conditions on these soils, productions exceeding sometimes over 4000 kg/ha, of course, in irrigation conditions. In the Danube Meadow, the first experiments on Sorghum halepense (Johnson grass) species were performed by Fane Popa and colleagues (1986), at the agricultural station of Braila, using the herbicide Fusilade. In our experiments, the herbicide fusillade was compared with different more recently synthesized herbicides: Super, Pantera, Agil, Select, with the specific purpose of identifying the most favorable dose.     

The chemical control of Shorgum halepense (Johnson grass) in soybean culture in the Danube meadow

Soybean cultures, especially those from the Danube Meadow, are very strongly infested with Johnson grass, which causes big damages, by the reduction of production with 40-85%, depending on the infestation degree. Before the synthesis of special herbicides for Johnson grass control, this species was controlled by practicing deep tilling, repeated operations with the disk, and, after the sprouting of soy plants, by mechanical and manual hoeings. In the Danube Waterside, the lack of labour force for the manual hoeing is very sharp. For this reason, it was generalized the enlarged use of herbicides for annual weed control (monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous), including Johnson grass. For the control of Johnson grass species, in the conditions of the Danube Meadow, the best results were obtained with the herbicides Fusilade Super, Targa Super, Agil and Select, and for the control of annual dicotyledonous species, with the herbicide Pivot 100LC.     

A new weed control strategy in onion culture

A new strategy combining modem hoeing technique and spray application has been developed in order to reduce the amount of herbicides down to 20% compared to common practice. The effects on weed control have been investigated as well as the impact on qualitative and quantitative harvest. In two large scale field trials and two years of testing the authors evaluated different hoeing techniques combined with band spray application and standard spray application, the minimal lethal herbicide dose method (MLHD). All varieties have been calculated for environmental impact as well as practical and economical means. These studies reveal crop losses due to improper weed control as well as losses due to herbicide stress. Detailed information on concentration depending impact of several herbicides have been correlated to their control of different weeds and the achieved yield. Two contrary effects influencing the total yield have been identified. The novel strategy is based on the knowledge of these complex effects which finally led to a well practicable and highly economic strategy that enables onion farmers to control weeds while reducing the amounts of herbicides down to approximately 20%.     

The grass carp for weed control

The agricultural and recreational use of waterways is decreased by a too luxurous growth of various species of aquatic plants. Weed control has to be carried out at least once every year. The old-fashioned hand-cutting has nearly been abandoned, due to shortage of manpower and high costs. For the same reasons mechanical weed control methods are not very popular everywhere. Possibilities for chemical control of aquatic weeds in Dutch waterways are restricted.The grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) could offer an inexpensive biological alternative. Experiments showed, that this fish is an efficient weedcontrol agent under Dutch circumstances. It is presumed, that its impact on various functions of the surface water is less (or at least less rigorous) than that of modern mechanical or chemical methods. Still it is felt, that this impact (side-effects) should be investigated thoroughly before introduction of this exotic species into our aquatic environment. For this reason a Working Party was formed within the framework of the Dutch Agricultural Research Council, section Weed Research.Preliminary results indicate that the grass carp does not eradicate plant-species; in the experiments remnants of the original vegetation remained, so that recovery was possible. Furthermore the macrophytic diversity was only slightly decreased. These observations indicate that the grass carp shows very little selectivity in type of food and in space. From a biological point of view this is rather ideal for any weed control agent. Up till now no clear influence on the composition or quantity of the microflora was found.The quantity of macrofauna and macrobenthos decreased in grass carp plots, for unknown reasons, but the rate of diversity does not differ from the rate of diversity in the control plots. Influence of grass carp stocking on growth, survical and breeding of endemic fishes will be studied in the coming years.     

The effects of flooding for rice culture on soil chemical properties and subsequent maize growth

Summary The effects of flooding and lowland rice culture on soil chemical properties and subsequent maize growth were investigated in two contrasting rice soils of S.E. Australia. The effects of incorporating rice straw, either during or after flooding were also studied. The experiment was conducted in a glasshouse with the use of large intact soil cores.Previous flooding markedly reduced maize growth, leaf P concentration and P uptake, despite the application of a large quantity of P fertilizer after drainage. Soil analyses showed that previous flooding increased the Langmuir sorption terms for maximum P sorption and bonding energy. The availability of P was more closely related to the bonding energy between soil and P than to the capacity of the soils to sorb P. The increases, in the P sorption parameters, were associated with decreases in the crystallinity of the free iron oxides as determined by their oxalate solubility. It was concluded that depressed P supply to maize sown in previously flooded soils was due to stronger P sorption by the drained soils, rather than to P immobilization during flooding.Rice plants grown during flooding reduced the amount of N available to the subsequent maize crop, but did not significantly affect P availability. Rice straw added during flooding did not affect subsequent maize growth, but when added after flooding caused microbial immobilization of N.Salts, Fe or Mn from previous flooding did not affect maize growth.     

The control of lysine biosynthesis in maize

Aspartate kinase has been partially purified and characterised from germinating maize seedlings. The K_m for aspartate was 9 mM. Out of several amino acids which are potential feedback regulators of the enzymes, only lysine is markedly inhibitory, having a K_i of 13 μM and causing 100% inhibition at 0.5 mM. Lysine also protects the enzyme against heat inactivation. Dihydrodipicolinic acid synthase isolated from the same tissue is also inhibited by lysine, 1 mM causing 95% inhibition.     

Molecular biology of weed control

The vast commercial effort to utilize chemical and molecular tools to solve weed control problems has had a major impact on the basic biological sciences as well as benefits to agriculture, and the first generation of transgenic products has been successful, while somewhat crude. More sophisticated products are envisaged and expected. Biotechnologically-derived herbicide-resistant crops have been a considerable benefit, yet in some cases there is a risk that the same useful transgenes may introgress into related weeds, specifically the weeds that are hardest to control without such transgenic crops. Biotechnology can also be used to mitigate the risks. Molecular tools should be considered for weed control without the use of, or with less chemicals, whether by enhancing crop competitiveness with weeds for light, nutrients and water, or via allelochemicals. Biocontrol agents may become more effective as well as more safe when rendered hypervirulent yet non-spreading by biotechnology. There might be ways to disperse deleterious transposons throughout weed populations, obviating the need to modify the crops. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Survey of weed composition befor maize sowing in long-term fertilization experiment

The study was carried out in a long-term fertilization field experiment of the Experimental Station of University of Pannonia, Department of Crop Science and Soil Science in 2006. The Long-term fertilization experiment was set up in 1983. In the experiment, the success of the weeds ability to grow under the influence of NPK, NPK + FYM* and NPK + straw treatments was compared, and the effect of increasing Nitrogen dosing on weediness was studied. The bifactorial test was arranged in split plot design with three replications. Treatment A: nutrient: NPK, NPK + 35 t/ha FYM* and NPK + straw manure. Treatment B: N kg/ha(-1) N0-N4 (0, 70, 140, 210, 280), and 100 kg P2O5 ha(-1) & 100 kg K20. The weed survey was made on 2nd of May 2006. There were spraying no herbicide until the survey. For the weed survey the Balázs-Ujvárosi coenological method was applied. Altogether, we have found 23 weed species in the trial. In the NPK treatment there were 20 species, in the treatment NPK+organic manure there were 17 species and in the NPK+ stalk rest treatment there were 16 weed species. The most dominant of the weeds on the NPK and NPK+straw manure treatments was Veronica hederifolia while on the fertilizer + FYM, the A. theophrasti was most dominant. The average weed covering value of the treatment NPK + FYM was 1.36 times higher (10.87%) than that of treatment NPK only (7.97%) and 3.65 times higher than on the NPK + straw manure treatment.     

Analysis of genetic control of maize response in anther culture within a diallelic set

The androgenic ability in anther culture in vitro was examined within a diallel set of five maize lines. The complex analysis of genetic variation components, Hayman's diagram, and genetic parameters showed that the anther response is under the control of an additive-dominant genetic system. The examined lines possessed the different correlation of dominant and recessive alleles controlling androgenesis. And 44 was the line with the biggest number of recessive genes, which determined the increase in the trait. The level of dominance varied in different loci, though in the whole the degree of dominance approached to the complete one.     

Impact of mowing and weed control on broadleaf weed population dynamics in turf

Abstract

Various turf management activities may influence weed population dynamics and interfere with weed control. The effects of a biocontrol agent, Sclerotinia minor, a chemical herbicide, Killex?, and mowing height on broadleaf weed dynamics were examined in two turfgrass stands for two consecutive years. Mowing did not reduce the population densities of dandelion or the ground cover of broadleaf weeds. In the second year, mowing significantly reduced white clover density, but significantly increased broadleaf plantain density, particularly at the closest mowing height (3–5 cm). Apart from the close height, the S. minor and Killex? treatments were equally effective in suppression of dandelion, white clover, broadleaf plantain, and prostrate knotweed in the second year. Common mallow increased in the herbicide treated plots and other species including yellow woodsorrel, yellow toadflax and lambsquarters increased in abundance in plots mowed at the 3–5 cm height and in plots treated with Killex?. Significant differences between the Killex? and S. minor treatments on dandelion population dynamics were rarely present and did not favour either treatment. S. minor did not damage the turfgrass, but Killex? reduced turf quality in 25% of the plots. The application of S. minor with a regular, medium height (～7 cm) mowing regime was highly effective in controlling broadleaf weeds in temperate Kentucky bluegrass turf.     

Unravelling the process of weed seed predation: Developing options for better weed control

Seed predation can cause significant losses of weed seeds in agricultural systems and can, thus, contribute to weed control. The removal of Lolium multiflorum and Vicia villosa seeds by harvester ants, Messor barbarus, and granivorous rodents, Mus spretus, in six cereal fields in NE Spain was separated into three sequential processes, namely (1) the probability of finding a seed cache (cache encounter rate), (2) the percentage of seeds utilized once a seed cache has been found (seed exploitation rate) and (3) seed selection if multiple species are present (preference). Identifying the most important behavioural component and factors that drive it may help to better understand and manage seed predation.Seed cache encounter rate correlated well with overall seed removal rate caused by harvester ants (r² = 0.91), or rodents (r² = 0.82). Once found, seed exploitation rates were high and fairly constant from spring to autumn for harvester ants, and low throughout the season for rodents. Harvester ants removed almost all L. multiflorum seeds from caches found, while the exploitation of V. villosa seeds varied across the season. In the case of rodents, cache encounter rate, but not exploitation rate, could be explained by canopy cover provided by the crop. L. multiflorum seemed to be preferred in early 2007, whereas V. villosa was in 2008.The adoption of no-till or minimum tillage systems together with the establishment of field edge vegetation are likely to encourage seed cache encounter and exploitation rates by both harvester ants and rodents, thus leading to increased weed control in semi-arid cereals.     

Opportunities for biological weed control in Europe

The development and application of biological weed control offer greatopportunities not only for farmers, nature conservationists and othervegetation managers but also for institutions and companies that wish tosell plant protection services and products, and for the general publicthat demands safe food and a visually attractive and diverseenvironment. Despite the obvious opportunities for biological weedcontrol, few control agents are actually being used in Europe. Potentialagent organisms have features that make them particularly strong anduseful for biological control, but they also have weaknesses. Weaknessesinclude a too narrow or too wide host specificity, lack of virulence, orsensitivity to unfavourable environmental conditions.Developing specific knowledge on the interaction between weeds andpotential biological control agents, as well as expertise to increasethe effect of control agents and so achieve sufficient weed control in acost-effective manner, should have the highest priority in researchprogrammes. From 1994 to 2000 most ongoing research on biological weedcontrol in Europe was combined in a cooperative programme. This COSTAction concentrated on the interactions between five target crop weedsand their antagonists (pathogens and insects), on furthercharacterisation of the specific blems and potential control agents andon the most suitable biological control approach.The next major challenge will be to apply the findings provided byCOST-816 to the development of practical control solutions. The leadingobjective of a new concerted research programme with European dimensionswill be to stabilise or even promote biodiversity in the most importantEuropean ecosystems by integrating biological weed control in themanagement of these systems.     

Comperative investigations of non chemical weed management methods in Hungary

Organic farming has an increasing tendency in Hungary because of growing consumers' demands according to organic products not only in inland but also in the countries of the European Union. Developments of weed control methods in organically cropped field plants have become conspicuous next to developing chemical weed management methods of convencionally cropped cultural plants. The aim of our investigations was to make comperative investigations of non chemical weed control methods in wide rowed plants.     

不同控草措施对高温季节华南地区蔬菜田杂草群落的影响

华南地区高温季节从6月持续到10月,田间杂草危害严重,当前高温季节田间杂草群落发生格局相关的研究资料积累不足。因此在广州高温季节于标准化菜田通过田间杂草调查、小区控草试验和室内土壤培养,研究了杂草群落发生规律和菜田不同清园和土壤处理控草措施对田间杂草群落短期防效和后续影响。结果表明,试验田休耕50 d后,田间杂草群落中禾草类杂草种类较少但发生量明显占优,阔叶类杂草种类较多而危害总体较轻,莎草类杂草种类较少,发生量与阔叶草相当;牛筋草(Eleusine indica)呈现明显的单优势,光头稗(Echinochloa colona)、千金子(Leptochloa chinensis)、碎米莎草(Cyperus iria)、草龙(Ludwigia hyssopifolia)等的盖度也较高。休耕后取田间土壤在不同温度条件下培养的结果亦表明,高温促进禾草类杂草的出苗和幼苗生长(尤其是40℃/35℃)而15℃恒温培养14 d几乎仅有阔叶类杂草出苗。不同控草措施处理的田间试验结果表明,百草枯处理(900 g a.i./hm~2)后阔叶类杂草总盖度上升的趋势被扭转为禾草类杂草持续占优势;喷施百草枯并铲草处理30 d后杂草盖度即恢复至60%以上,而配合喷施丁草胺(1350 ga.i./hm~2)、乙草胺(750 ga.i./hm~2)、精异丙甲草胺(750 ga.i./hm~2)或二甲戊灵(600 ga.i./hm~2)进行土壤处理30 d后可使杂草盖度与仅喷施百草枯处理分别下降72.9%、84.6%、83.9%和77.5%;土壤处理前配合浅翻耕可明显提升控草效果。典范对应分析(CCA)结果表明,控草处理70d后,百草枯、铲草和翻耕处理均对试验田间杂草群落结构具有显著影响(P0.01),田间各主要杂草在CCA排序图中明显分为两个类群:1)光头稗、牛筋草、千金子、马唐(Digitaria sanguinalis)、水虱草(Fimbristylis miliacea)和三头水蜈蚣(Kyllinga triceps);2)草龙、胜红蓟(Ageratum conyzoides)、鳢肠(Eclipta prostrata)、马齿苋(Portulaca oleracea)等阔叶类杂草和碎米莎草。     

The value of simulating herbivory in selecting effective weed biological control agents

Invasive species have a significant economic and ecological cost and biological control can be a powerful tool in their management. Classical biological control practice involves the re-establishment of trophic links between specialist insect and fungal agents to regulate populations of invasive species. However, the permanent nature of biological control agent introductions raises concerns about the unintended consequences of such introductions on non-target organisms, particularly when such agents are ineffective on their target organisms. In this paper, we explore the current debate in the selection of agents for weed classical biological control. We then propose an alternate approach, based on studying plant response to simulated herbivory, that could minimize the chances of release of ineffective agents. Simulating herbivory could yield insights into the vulnerability of plants to certain types of damage. Selection of agents within guilds that are likely to have a significant influence on the plant can improve the chances of achieving biological control sooner and reduce the likelihood of releasing ineffective agents that may have non-target impacts. We propose a method by which simulated herbivory could be integrated into the agent selection process and discuss its strengths and shortcomings. We present case studies of two Neotropical weeds illustrating how this method could be applied.     

The Impact of Chemical Compounds on Benthic Invertebrates from the Danube and Danube Delta Systems

The aim of this study is to assess freshwater sediment in terms of biological and preliminary toxicological control linked to a series of variables along the Danube River and Danube Delta systems. The research is focused on eight points of the Romanian sector in the summer to autumn of 2012. Results show a high concentration of metals, pesticides, and petroleum products in sediment samples in the monitored period. The survey is designed to gauge the total chemical pollution effects on the composition, living, and growth of benthic organisms. To assess the toxic hazard of contaminated sediment samples, a microbiotest with meiobenthic ostracods Heterocypris incongruens was performed with evaluation of mortality and growth-inhibition percentages. The preliminary results showed an increase of sediment toxicity, in terms of growth inhibition (>80%), especially at Murighiol and Ivancea. The chemical pressures alongside the temporal conditions were important variables which affected benthic communities. Low benthic diversity was found in the Isaccea–St. Gheorghe Branch sector of the Danube River. In terms of ecological status, the study reveals that the Danube and Danube Delta ecosystem are eutrophic systems equilibrated for good ecological status.     

The effect of weed control practices on macroinvertebrate communities in Irish Canals

Macroinvertebrates in aquatic habitats form an integral part of the diet of many freshwater fish. It is therefore important to understand the effects that weed control practices have on this community in canal fishery watercourses. The principal forms of weed control operated in the Grand and Royal Canals include mechanical cutting, using a variety of boat-mounted and land-based apparatus, and chemical treatment using dichlobenil. The community composition and relative abundance of macroinvertebrates in control, mechanically cut and dichlobenil treated canal sites was recorded on three to five occasions between 1993 and 1994. The results indicated that Asellus aquaticus was the dominant organism at all canal locations. The land-based Mowing Bucket effected the greatest reduction in macroinvertebrate numbers in the immediate aftermath of the cut. This reflects the capacity of the machine to cut vegetation to canal bed level, thereby removing any substrate for colonisation. At all eight sites examined, macroinvertebrate numbers increased relatively rapidly following treatment and no adverse effect on dependent fish life resulted. The Office of Public Works policy of removing obstructive vegetation from a central navigation channel, while preserving weeded marginal fringes, minimises the impact of weed control operations on the macroinvertebrate fauna.