Searching for weeds – how to search where the weeds are?

Sampling for rare events, such as a new weed incursion, is not easy. At most of the sample points the species of interest is absent and only occasionally the species is recorded. Very often surveillance and monitoring for rare events (e.g. new weed incursions) is done using local knowledge and a statistical sampling design is not used. The stated reason for this approach is usually because the biodiversity managers knew where to look and didn’t need statistics. Adaptive, unequal probability survey designs can be used in these situations, ensuring both sample effort is focused on locations where there is a high likelihood of a weed being present. Time in the field is spent within locations where weeds are present and minimal time spent where weeds are absent. Any relevant information on where weeds are likely to be found (e.g. local knowledge and expertise) can be used to target survey effort in unequal probability survey designs. The advantage of an adaptive, unequal probability survey design is that not only can field effort be focused on areas where the weeds are thought to be. In addition, important weed parameters can be estimated and reported along with estimates of uncertainty. Weed parameters include the proportion of the total area that weeds are present, the diversity of weed species, the total abundance of weeds, and the total area covered by weeds. With reliable and consistent estimates of these weed parameters (e.g. weed cover or abundance) the efficacy of weed management can be tracked. Over time, with regular reporting of weed cover or abundance, the success (or otherwise) of weed management strategies can be measured.     

Searching for weeds – a GIS tool

Sampling for rare events, such as a new weed incursion, can be surprisingly efficient when adaptive, unequal probability survey designs are used. Spatially explicit habitat models and expert knowledge of weedy species can be used to identify areas of varied survey intensity. We introduce a GIS-based tool that can be used for designing such a survey. The user-friendly tool interfaces (behind the scenes) with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s spatially balanced sampling design functions in R. The functions ensure that the location of the sample points are spatially balanced while at the same time, allowing the user to specify survey intensity in area of special interest (preferred habitats, areas of high conservation value, areas of high public use, etc). We discuss the use of the GIS tool in a case study where we designed a 5-year weed monitoring plan for a local authority in New Zealand. The plan includes ‘over sample’ sites to replace any original sample sites that were impractical or costly to visit. Initial results include estimates of what proportion of the total region has weeds present and an estimate of weed density. More detailed results are produced for specified known weed hot spots, such as areas adjacent to roads and rivers. These estimates are available for all weed species, and for individual species. Because the system is GIS-based, spatial information is stored. Over time, as the weed surveillance and monitoring progresses, regional changes in weed distribution can be tracked, and species and locations that require more targeted weed management can be identified. Further results of such a probability-based design can be used to develop habitat models for predicting future distributions.     

Estimating the maximum interval between repeat surveys

Abstract Surveying species that are present in low numbers is difficult because often the survey fails to locate any individuals. One strategy to improve the sample design is to survey the site repeatedly. With repeat surveys the abundance of the target species, and hence likelihood of detection, may change between visits. We present a model for deciding on the maximum surveillance interval between repeat surveys so that there is a high probability of detecting the species. We use as an example surveys for new weed infestations and model the chance of detecting the weed before control costs reach a threshold. The maximum surveillance interval depends on the rate of weed growth, the ability to detect the weed, and the cost of controlling the weed. Typically weed growth rates are high. Fast growing plants need to be detected early before they spread, but often weeds are difficult to detect when young and still comparatively cheap to control. Results from the model to determine maximum surveillance intervals are given for five broad habitat types and seven weed types. Surveillance intervals ranged from 1 to 10 years. Longer intervals are appropriate when searching for weeds with slower growth rates, that are easier to detect, and those that can be controlled cheaply.     

The conservation of arable weeds at crop edges of barley fields in northeast Spain

The effects of weed control practices and fertilisation on weed flora and crop yield were evaluated in crop edges of barley fields in northeastern Spain. The study was carried out in four organic and four conventional barley fields. In each field, four permanent plots were delimited at the crop edge, and fertilisation and weed control treatments in a factorial design were applied over 3 years. Weed composition and the aboveground biomass of weeds and barley were recorded before the crop harvest in the first and the third year. We found relatively low values of species richness per field, as well as low values of weed biomass, especially in the organic crop edges (3.9% of total biomass). Weeds were significantly reduced by herbicide applications on conventional fields and were not affected by weed harrowing on organic fields or fertilisation. These results demonstrate that specific measures are needed to enhance biodiversity at crop edges both in organic and conventional fields. Our results also suggest that under Mediterranean conditions and among impoverished weed communities, limiting the use of herbicides is crucial to enhancing arable diversity and that, contrary to findings found in previous studies in temperate climates, fertilisation and weed harrowing have little effect on weeds.     

Quantifying the effect of crop spatial arrangement on weed suppression using functional-structural plant modelling

Suppression of weed growth in a crop canopy can be enhanced by improving crop competitiveness. One way to achieve this is by modifying the crop planting pattern. In this study, we addressed the question to what extent a uniform planting pattern increases the ability of a crop to compete with weed plants for light compared to a random and a row planting pattern, and how this ability relates to crop and weed plant density as well as the relative time of emergence of the weed. To this end, we adopted the functional-structural plant modelling approach which allowed us to explicitly include the 3D spatial configuration of the crop-weed canopy and to simulate intra- and interspecific competition between individual plants for light. Based on results of simulated leaf area development, canopy photosynthesis and biomass growth of the crop, we conclude that differences between planting pattern were small, particularly if compared to the effects of relative time of emergence of the weed, weed density and crop density. Nevertheless, analysis of simulated weed biomass demonstrated that a uniform planting of the crop improved the weed-suppression ability of the crop canopy. Differences in weed suppressiveness between planting patterns were largest with weed emergence before crop emergence, when the suppressive effect of the crop was only marginal. With simultaneous emergence a uniform planting pattern was 8 and 15 % more competitive than a row and a random planting pattern, respectively. When weed emergence occurred after crop emergence, differences between crop planting patterns further decreased as crop canopy closure was reached early on regardless of planting pattern. We furthermore conclude that our modelling approach provides promising avenues to further explore crop-weed interactions and aid in the design of crop management strategies that aim at improving crop competitiveness with weeds.     

Interactions of alternate hosts, postemergence grass control, and rootworm-resistant transgenic corn on western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) damage and adult emergence

Field studies were conducted in 2003 and 2004 to determine the effects of grassy weeds, postemergence grass control, transgenic rootworm-resistant corn, Zea mays L., expressing the Cry3Bb1 endotoxin and glyphosate herbicide tolerance (Bt corn), and the interactions of these factors on western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, damage and adult emergence. Three insect management tactics (Bt corn, its nontransgenic isoline, and isoline plus tefluthrin) were evaluated with two weed species (giant foxtail, Setaria faberi Herrm, and large crabgrass, Digitaria sanquinalis L. Scop), and four weed management regimes (weed free, no weed management, early [V3-4] weed management and late [V5-6] weed management) in a factorial arrangement of a randomized split split-plot design. In each case, the isoline was also tolerant to glyphosate. Root damage was significantly affected by insect management tactics in both years, but weed species and weed management did not significantly affect damage to Bt corn in either year. Adult emergence was significantly affected by insect management tactics in both years and by weed species in 2003, but weed management and the interaction of all three factors was not significant in either year. The sex ratio of female beetles produced on Bt corn without weeds was generally greater than when weeds were present and this difference was significant for several treatments each year. Average dry weight of male and female beetles emerging from Bt corn was greater than the weights of beetles emerging from isoline or isoline plus tefluthrin in 2003, but there was no difference for females in 2004 and males weighed significantly less than other treatments in 2004. The implications of these results in insect resistance management are discussed.     

Disturbance intensity,timing and history interact to affect pasture weed invasion

Past disturbance events shape future community trajectories if their ecological legacies interact with contemporary disturbance regimes to affect recruitment and reproduction. In pastures, large-scale disturbance events can become undetectable in aboveground community components but persist as augmented weed seedbanks, suggesting disturbance history may be a predictor of weed invasion magnitude following subsequent disturbance. Using a randomized block factorial design, we investigated how soil disturbance intensity, timing and history interact to affect weed recruitment, diversity and reproduction by implementing a range of disturbance intensities in April and June 2004 in pastures of differing disturbance history. Response variables were followed for two years. Disturbance timing interacted with disturbance intensity and history to affect recruitment, with some June treatment combinations having ≥48% higher weed abundance than those in April. Relative to undisturbed controls, low to intermediate disturbance intensity facilitated recruitment by ≥117% but high intensity disturbance had highest recruitment, particularly in previously disturbed pastures (≥543% increase). In both years, weed species richness was highest in intense disturbances in previously disturbed pastures. Importantly, weed reproduction was nearly one order of magnitude higher in intense disturbance patches, especially in previously disturbed pastures, and increased through time by ≥243%. These findings indicate weed recruitment, diversity and reproductive output are seed- and microsite-limited, and that intense soil disturbance may result in high long-term weed abundance. Although moderate disturbance facilitated recruitment, reproduction here was low, suggesting modest disturbance will not appreciably increase weed abundance. The most common species were Taraxacum officinale and Poa pratensis, both of which can benefit forage-livestock production, but most establishing species were of low palatability. We recommend grassland managers explicitly integrate disturbance history into dynamic management planning, consider augmenting seedbanks with ‘desirable’ weed species to help communities recover following inevitable disturbance events and do not rely exclusively on aboveground characters to evaluate their system's vulnerability to undesirable plant establishment and persistence.     

Does weed suppression by high crop density depend on crop spatial pattern and soil water availability?

Size-asymmetric competition, in which larger plants obtain a disproportionally larger share of contested resources, can be applied in agriculture to suppress weeds by increasing crop density and spatial uniformity, as these practices enhance the initial size-asymmetric competitive advantages of crop seedlings over weed seedlings early in the growing season. We do not yet know how agronomic factors influence weed suppression at high crop density. We performed a field experiment to ask how crop density, spatial pattern and irrigation interact to influence weed suppression and grain yield in semi-arid croplands. The experimental was a factorial design with 4 factors: wheat cultivar (Ningchun4, Xihan2), irrigation level (control, irrigated), sowing density (low, 196 seeds m⁻²; moderate, 400 seeds m^-2; high, 625 seeds m⁻²), and spatial sowing pattern (rows, uniform). Weed growth was effectively suppressed by increased crop density and spatial uniformity. Effects of crop density on weed suppression and grain yield were more pronounced in the uniform pattern than in crop rows. Weed biomass was 55.7% lower and grain yield increased 29.7% higher in the high density uniform pattern compared to the low density and row pattern. Crop density interacted with cultivar in determining both weed biomass and grain yield, potentially reflecting different traits regulating crop competitive ability. Irrigation and crop density had additive effects on weed biomass but interacted to influence grain yield. Our findings support the idea that increased crop density and spatial uniformity can make a valuable and environmentally friendly contribution to weed control in wheat, reducing the need for chemical or mechanical weed control. We need a better understanding of the interactions among climate, agricultural management and crop genotype to improve our ability to effectively suppress weeds with high crop density and spatial uniformity.     

Italian weedy rice—A case of de‐domestication?

Weedy rice is a representative of the extensive group of feral weeds that derive from crops, but has returned to the lifestyle of a wild species. These weeds develop either from a hybridization of crops with wild relatives (exoferality), or by mutation of crops to weedy forms (endoferality). Due to the close relation of weed and crop, the methods for weed‐targeted containment are limited to date. A deeper understanding of the development of such weeds might help to design more efficient and sustainable approaches for weed management. Weedy rice poses a serious threat to rice yields worldwide. It is widely accepted that weedy rice has originated independently in different regions all over the world. However, details of its evolution have remained elusive. In the current study, we investigated the history of weedy rice in northern Italy, the most important rice‐growing area in Europe. Our approach was to analyze genes related to weedy traits (SD1, sh4, Rc) in weedy rice accessions compared to cultivars, and to integrate these results with phenotypic and physiological data, as well as historical information about rice farming in Italy. We arrive at a working model for the timeline of evolution of weedy rice in Italy indicating that both exoferality and endoferality acted as forces driving the development of the diverse weedy rice populations found in the region today. Models of weed evolution can help to predict the direction which weed development might take and to develop new, sustainable methods to control feral weeds.     

转Bt基因保铃棉对棉田杂草群落组成与多样性的影响

 应用群落生态学方法研究了转Bt基因抗虫保铃棉(Gossypium hirsutum)‘972’、‘109B’、‘690’与‘154’种植后对江苏沿海的大丰旱作棉区与沿江的如皋水旱轮作棉区棉田杂草的影响风险。同地同期测定结果显示：不同保铃棉品系棉田杂草物种丰富度(S)、个体数量(N)、群落多样性(H′)、均匀度(J)与优势集中性(C)值在对照品种（‘泗棉3号’与‘苏棉16’）棉田上下波动,优势种及其多度基本接近。两地五期的综合分析结果显示各保铃棉品系杂草群落多样性、均匀度都略高于对照棉,而优势集中性都略低于对照棉。不同抗性保铃棉品系棉田杂草群落特征参数组分对群落多样性的直接间接作用与对照品种棉田的趋势基本一致。同一生态类型棉区的保铃棉高抗、中抗品系与对照品种棉田杂草的种相似性系数与群落相似性系数都较高。上述结果表明,转基因抗虫保铃棉品系棉田的杂草群落稳定性并不比对照品种的差,因保铃棉品系本身产生新的恶性杂草风险的可能性并不明显。     

施肥和杂草多样性对土壤微生物群落的影响

常年使用化肥和除草剂以及农业新技术的高投入,使我国粮食主产区耕地出现了生产力降低、土壤生物多样性失调和污染严重等生态问题。采用磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)方法来评估施肥和杂草多样性对冬小麦土壤微生物群落结构的影响。实验采用裂区实验设计,施肥作为主因素,杂草多样性作为次因素。化肥和有机肥两个施肥处理,在两个施肥处理中进行杂草多样性设置,实验盆中心种植作物(冬小麦8株),四周种植杂草(8株),杂草种类选择野燕麦、苜蓿、菊苣、播娘蒿。杂草多样性处理设为0、1、2、4种杂草处理,0种杂草处理仅种植作物,有6盆;1种杂草处理为每盆种1种杂草,有12盆;2种杂草处理为每盆种两种杂草,有12盆;4种杂草处理为每盆种4种杂草,有6盆。结果表明:在两种施肥处理中,增加杂草多样性显著增加了土壤碳氮比和p H值,碳氮比都是在4种杂草处理中最高。施化肥处理中,增加杂草多样性显著影响真菌和细菌比,真菌和细菌比在4种杂草处理中最大,显著高于0、1、2种杂草处理。在施有机肥处理中,增加杂草多样性显著影响阳性菌和阴性菌比,阳性菌和阴性菌比在0种杂草处理中最低,显著低于1、2、4种杂草处理。在两个施肥处理中,土壤碳氮比与各类群微生物量显著相关,杂草多样性通过改变土壤碳氮比改变微生物群落构成,并且微生物群落结构转变方式不同。     

Complementing cultural weed control with plant allelopathy: Implications for improved weed management in wheat crop

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop in Pakistan which is suffering from major grain production loss because of weed infestations. Control of weeds by herbicides is a primary weed management tool in wheat crop which can be detrimental to the environment and grain produce. Development of an efficient and eco-friendly alternate to the herbicidal weed control, testing the effectiveness of cultural weed control (crop row orientation, selected wheat genotypes and hand weeding) and plants water extracts was undertaken for weed control in wheat. An experiment was run under field conditions in winter season in 2016–2017 and in 2017–2018 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The repeated experiment was each time undertaken using a randomized complete block design with a double split plot arrangements at the New Developmental Farm, University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. The crop row orientations used were assigned to the main plots. The wheat genotypes used were assigned to the sub-plots. The allelopathic water extracts and hand weeding were assigned to the sub-sub plots. The averaged mean values for row orientations of both the years revealed lowest weed density (95.7 weeds m^?2), highest grains per spike (47.3), 1000 grains weight (44.7 g) in north to south row orientation. The averaged mean values of weed density (101.6 weeds m^?2), grains per spike (48.2), 1000 grains weight (45.9 g), crude protein content (12.793%), crude fat content (1.533%) and ash content (1.586%) were greater for the wheat genotype Pirsabaq-2013 and Atta-Habib-2010. Water extract of S. halepense, P. hysterophorus, H. annuus and hand weeding showed significantly lower weed density (84.0 to 93.3), grains per spike (50.9 to 48.3), 1000 grains weight (48.3 to 46.2 g), grains protein content (12.280 to 12.209%), grains crude fat content (1.471 to 1.464%) and grains ash content (1.523 to 1.515%). Interaction effect of different tested weed control treatments i.e. N-S × Pirsabaq-2013 and Atta-Habib-2010 × water extract of S. halepense, P. hysterophorus and H. annuus were found to show further reduction in weed density and enhance grains per spike and grains nutrition contributing parameters. Our results show that sowing wheat genotypes Pirsabaq-2013 and Atta-Habib-2010 in north-to-south row orientation, and application of water extract of S. halepense, P. hysterophorus, H. annuus can give an effective weed management and increased quality grain yield of wheat.     

Evolutionary-thinking in agricultural weed management

Agricultural weeds evolve in response to crop cultivation. Nevertheless, the central importance of evolutionary ecology for understanding weed invasion, persistence and management in agroecosystems is not widely acknowledged. This paper calls for more evolutionarily-enlightened weed management, in which management principles are informed by evolutionary biology to prevent or minimize weed adaptation and spread. As a first step, a greater knowledge of the extent, structure and significance of genetic variation within and between weed populations is required to fully assess the potential for weed adaptation. The evolution of resistance to herbicides is a classic example of weed adaptation. Even here, most research focuses on describing the physiological and molecular basis of resistance, rather than conducting studies to better understand the evolutionary dynamics of selection for resistance. We suggest approaches to increase the application of evolutionary-thinking to herbicide resistance research. Weed population dynamics models are increasingly important tools in weed management, yet these models often ignore intrapopulation and interpopulation variability, neglecting the potential for weed adaptation in response to management. Future agricultural weed management can benefit from greater integration of ecological and evolutionary principles to predict the long-term responses of weed populations to changing weed management, agricultural environments and global climate.     

连续单一除草剂应用情况下的转基因直播稻田杂草群落动态

【背景】转基因抗除草剂水稻种植将导致连年连续使用单一目标除草剂,势必会影响杂草群落结构的变化,但其变化规律至今还不十分明确。【方法】于2011~2013年,连续3年在直播种植抗草铵膦转基因Bar68-1水稻田中,使用灭生性除草剂草铵膦,持续观察期间杂草群落结构变化,并与常规选择性除草剂丙草胺—苄嘧磺隆（丙·苄）的应用情况进行对比,以揭示由于种植转基因抗除草剂水稻而使用单一除草剂对稻田杂草群落结构的影响。【结果】草铵膦和丙·苄连续使用后,杂草的物种丰富度和总杂草密度均逐年显著降低。随草铵膦使用年限增加,控草效果持续提高并达到优良水平,而常规选择性除草剂丙·苄的长期使用,致使多年生杂草双穗雀稗演替为群落的优势种,杂草密度呈逐年增加的趋势,导致生物多样性指数显著降低。【结论与意义】抗除草剂转基因水稻种植,在抗性杂草演化之前,不会因单一灭生性除草剂的应用而导致杂草群落迅速朝不良方向演替。长期的群落演替还需要进一步研究观察。     

Increasing habitat connectivity in agricultural landscapes as a weed management strategy reconciling ecology and agronomy

While studies have explored how habitat amount drives weed assemblages in agroecosystems, knowledge remains limited of the effects of habitat connectivity. The response-effect trait framework provides insights into the mechanisms underpinning the relationship between landscape structure and the taxonomic diversity and abundance of weed assemblages. This study evaluated how habitat connectivity and habitat amount affect weed diversity and abundance in winter cereal fields, and whether these effects are driven by the functional composition of weed assemblages. We sampled weeds in 27 winter cereal fields. We measured habitat connectivity and habitat amount provided by wooded, grassland and cropland elements. We selected five traits related to the dispersal, establishment, and competitive abilities of weed species likely to respond to landscape structure: seed number per plant, type of reproduction, seed dry mass, plant vegetative height and seed germination rate. The functional composition of weed assemblages was assessed using community weighted mean trait values. Weed diversity and abundance were used as proxies of weed management. The taxonomic approach did not reveal any effect of landscape structure on weed diversity and abundance. Only the grassland elements that contributed to habitat connectivity, and to a lesser extent to habitat amount, drove the functional composition of weed assemblages. High habitat amount favoured species with many seeds, while high habitat connectivity favoured species with fewer seeds, a higher ability to reproduce vegetatively and higher seed germination rates. In turn, higher seed germination rates increased weed evenness and reduced weed abundance. Some of these relationships were influenced by the presence of rare species. Overall, high connectivity provided by grassland elements increases weed evenness and reduces weed abundance by shaping weed functional composition. Our study suggests that land-use planning policies that enhance the connectivity provided by grassland elements could be considered as a weed management strategy reconciling ecology and agronomy.     

Prediction of weed density: the increase of error with prediction interval, and the use of long-term prediction for weed management

1. This paper addresses the errors that are associated with the long-term prediction of weed densities, and the effect of these errors on the performance of weed management decisions based on those long-term predictions.
2. A model of weed population dynamics was constructed and its parameters were estimated from experimental observations of population dynamics of the weed species Stellaria media in a crop rotation.
3. The observations showed that estimates of weed population growth rate differed between two locations.
4. The model was used to analyse error propagation for predicted weed densities in an enlarged prediction interval. It is concluded that errors due to an uncertain population growth rate increase linearly with the length of the prediction interval, and thus pose an upper limit to the horizon for long-term predictions.
5. It is shown that a limited ability to predict weed densities does not necessarily impair the practical use of weed population dynamic models in planning for long-term weed control programmes.     

稻田水面漂浮的杂草种子种类及动态

为了揭示杂草种子的漂浮动态,并为探寻生态控草方法提供理论依据,我们于2005年6-11月,在南京沧波门稻作区调查了水稻种植前及生长后期田问杂草群落以及稻田灌水期间水面漂浮的杂草种子的种类及漂浮时间.结果表明,在水稻种植前及生长后期田间出现有15科24种杂草;可漂浮于水面的杂草种子有17科26种,与田间发生的杂草种类相同的共有18种,占所有32种杂草的56.25%.这些杂草主要隶属于禾本科、蓼科、毛茛科、报春花科、莎草科、菊科和雨久花科.田埂附近漂浮的杂草种类及种子数量均高于田中间;各类杂草种子的漂浮能力不一,其中菵草(Beckmannia syzigachne)、泽珍珠菜(Lysimachia candida)、茴茴蒜(Ranunculus chinensis)、齿果酸模(Rumex dentatus)、蛇床(Cnidium monnieri)、鳢肠(Eclipta prostrata)和看麦娘(Alopecurus aequalis)等在田间水面漂浮能力较强.漂浮期间杂草种子除多集中于田埂附近,也附着于稻稞周围,并有互相结联的趋势.从整体上看,杂草种子漂浮2天后骤降,8天后基本全部沉降.显然,稻田生境的杂草种子大多可以漂浮于水面传播扩散.因此在灌水早期采取过滤或清除水上漂浮杂草种子可以减少杂草种子的输入和加速杂草种子从田间输出,减少杂草发生基数.     

长期稻鸭共作对稻田杂草群落组成及物种多样性的影响

2000~2003年连续4年研究了稻鸭共作条件下田间杂草群落的特征及其动态变化规律。结果表明,在长期稻鸭共作条件下,田间杂草密度逐年降低,下降趋势符合阻滞模型y=k+a·e^bx,模型参数b反映了杂草种群的下降速率。在稻田6种主要杂草中,水虱草(Fimbristylis miliaceae)、陌上菜(Lindernia procumbens)、丁香蓼(Ludwigia prostrata)种群数量降低较快,鸭舌草(Monochoria vaginalis)、异型莎草(Cyperus difformis)次之,稗(Echinochloa crusgalli)最慢。稻鸭共作使稻田杂草群落的物种多样性持续降低,群落均匀度提高,群落相似性与稻鸭共作前相比逐年降低。说明稻鸭共作改变了田间杂草的群落结构,有利于限制杂草的发生危害。随着稻鸭共作的连年进行,对田间杂草的控制效果逐渐上升,4年后达99%以上。稻鸭共作是稻田替代化学除草的一种非常有效的生物、生态控草措施,具有显著的经济和生态效益。     

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.     

Faba bean grain yield, N2 fixation, and weed infestation in a long-term tillage experiment under rainfed Mediterranean conditions

Background and aims

Long-term experiments could provide valuable information to determine the effects of an agronomic practice on agro-ecosystem productivity and stability. This study evaluated the long-term (18-year) impact of different tillage systems on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) productivity, including weed and broomrape incidence, and N₂ fixation.

Methods

The experiment was carried out on a Vertisol under rainfed Mediterranean conditions. It was set up as a strip-plot design. The tillage systems were: conventional tillage (CT) with moldboard plow, reduced tillage (RT) with chisel plow, and no tillage (NT). Nitrogen fixation was estimated over 2?years in the final phase of the experiment using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique.

Results

On average, grain yield was 31?% and 23?% higher under NT than under CT and RT, respectively; however, the effect of tillage varied by year. The yield advantage of NT over CT was pronounced when rainfall was scarce. Average broomrape infestation was lower under NT than under CT, but a reduction in tillage intensity resulted in an increase in weed biomass. Tillage had no effect on weed richness, but the use of the NT technique progressively altered the weed composition by determining conditions conducive to the growth of a few weed species that are hard to control. Nitrogen fixation was strongly influenced by tillage, being higher under NT than under CT.

Conclusions

The results suggest that NT is a valuable option in the rainfed cereal–legume rotation systems of Mediterranean environments; however, the success of NT technique depends on the use of effective weed control strategies.