Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. competition with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

A series of field experiments was conducted to evaluate the competitive effect of Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Norstar’) yield. Grain yield at the centre of dense C. arvense patches ranged from 28–71% of the yield in adjacent weed-free plots, based on measurements made at 11 experimental sites over a 2-year period. The mean reduction in yield was 49%. Two models were used to describe grain yield reduction in terms of C. arvense shoot density: (a) linear regression of percentage yield reduction on the square root of shoot density, and (b) non-linear regression, based on a rectangular hyperbola. Both models give similar yield loss estimates at commonly occurring shoot densities of C. arvense, but the non-linear model accounted for more of the observed variation in grain yield. The major yield component affected by C. arvense competition was spikes per unit area, with kernel weight affected to a lesser extent.