Selective uprooting by weed harrowing on sandy soils

Uprooting by weed harrowing and the potential of the uprooting process for selective weed control at early crop growth stages was studied. Effects of working depth, seed depth, soil moisture content and working speed on uprooting of Lolium perenne L., Lepidium sativum L. and Chenopodium quinoa Willd. were investigated in laboratory harrowing experiments on a sandy soil. Harrowing uprooted on average 51% of the emerging plants and 21% of the plants in the seedling stage. Seventy per cent of all uprooted plants were completely covered by soil. An increase in working depth from 10 mm to 30 mm doubled the average fraction of uprooted plants. Uprooting was also promoted by higher soil moisture contents and higher working speeds. Average uprooting selectivity (=fraction of uprooted emerging plants/fraction of uprooted seedlings of the same species) varied between 2.0 (deep tillage and high speed) and 5.6 (dry soil). If tines could keep a distance of more than 3 mm from the crop and weed plants, the average selectivity of all treatments would improve from 2.4 to 5.5 and the average fraction of uprooted seedlings would decrease from 21% to 8%. This study indicates that uprooting may be a more important weed control mechanism than commonly believed. If working depth and the path of the harrow tines in relation to crop rows could be accurately controlled, uprooting could be a relatively selective weed control mechanism at early crop growth stages.     

Tolerance of four spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) varieties to weed harrowing

We investigated the tolerance to weed harrowing of four spring barley varieties and examined the possible interactions between varietal weed suppressive ability and two nutrient levels. Tolerance was defined as the combined effect of crop resistance (ability to resist soil covering) and crop recovery (the ability to recover in terms of yield). The weed harrowing strategy was a combination of one pre‐ and one post‐emergence weed harrowing. In terms of yield, the four varieties responded significantly differently to weed harrowing and the response depended on nutrient level. At the lower nutrient level, weed harrowing caused an increase in yield of 4.4 hkg ha⁻¹ for a strong competitor (cv. Otira), while there was no effect on yield at the higher nutrient level. For a weaker competitor (cv. Brazil), weed harrowing caused no change in yield at the lower nutrient level, whereas yield decreased by 6.0 hkg ha⁻¹ at the higher nutrient level. There were marked differences between the weed suppressive ability of the four varieties when not harrowed, with less pronounced but significant differences when harrowed. Weed harrowing did not change the weed suppressive ability of a variety. Varieties that are tall at post‐emergence harrowing and have increased density after pre‐emergence harrowing, are the ones that benefit most from weed harrowing.     

Mechanical damage to annual weeds and carrots by in-row brush weeding

Field experiments were carried out in order to assess the selectivity of in-row brush weeding in carrots with a natural flora of annual weeds, represented by Urtica urens L., Stellaria media (L.) Vill., Chenopodium album L., Senecio vulgaris L., Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Med., Chamomilla suaveolens (L.) Pursh Buch. and Matricaria inodora L. The mechanisms by which the weeds and carrots were controlled (uprooting vs. soil covering) were studied using a portable vacuum-cleaner. Weeds at the two- to four-true-leaf stage proved to be more sensitive to brushing than carrots with two to four true leaves but, for later development stages of the weeds, there were no differences. Weeds at the six- to eight-leaf stage were only killed to an extent of 20–50%. Uprooting generally accounted for 45–90% of the weed mortality at the two- to four-leaf stage, whereas most of the mortality in carrots was the result of soil covering. The vacuum-cleaning method proved to be a simple and rapid way of determining whether plants had been killed by uprooting or soil covering. It was concluded that the major mechanism of weed control obtained by brush weeding is uprooting.     

Resistance against uprooting in carrots ( Daucus carota) and annual weeds: a basis for selective mechanical weed control

Trials were carried out in order to investigate ways in which to achieve selectivity in mechanical weed control. The influence of soil type, uprooting angle and development stage on the uprooting force of some annual weeds and carrot was studied. Spergula arvensis L., Urtica urens L., Chenopodium album L. and carrot (Daucus carota L.) were sown in soil bins filled with four different soil types. The plants were uprooted when they had two true leaves. Soil type significantly influenced the uprooting force needed by all four species. The forces required to uproot U. urens and C. album differed significantly between peat and loamy sand. In loamy sand, Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Med., Stellaria media (L.) Vill, Chamomilla suaveolens (L.) Pursh Buch. and Viola arvensis Murr. could all be uprooted by less force than it took to uproot carrot. The uprooting angle (0°, 45° and 90°) had no significant influence on the uprooting force for carrot at the studied developmental stage. C. album, S. arvensis, U. urens, Matricaria inodora, Thlaspi arvense L. and carrot could all be uprooted by less than 1 N when they had two true leaves. Carrots required a greater uprooting force than the weeds at the three early developmental stages studied. This indicates that it should be possible to develop selective mechanical weed control methods.     

Effects of pre- and post-emergence weed harrowing on annual weeds in peas and spring cereals

To assess the effects of timing and frequency of weed harrowing on weed abundance and crop yield, different pre- and post-emergence weed harrowing sequences were applied to spring cereals and peas in field experiments performed during 2003 and 2004 in Sweden. Post-emergence harrowing was performed at crop growth stages 2–3 and 5–6 true leaves respectively. The best weed control was obtained by a combination of pre- and post-emergence harrowing, but these treatments also caused yield losses of 12–14% in spring cereals, while no yield losses were observed in peas. Pre-emergence weed harrowing treatments alone or combined with weed harrowing shortly after crop emergence proved to be most effective against the early emerging annual weed species Sinapis arvensis and Galeopsis spp. Post-emergence harrowing alone in peas had no effect on S. arvensis . The late emerging annual weed species Chenopodium album and Polygonum lapathifolium were most effectively controlled when pre-emergence weed harrowing was combined with one or two weed harrowing treatments after crop emergence.     

Uprooted buffelgrass thatch reduces buffelgrass seedling establishment

Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link), a non-native perennial bunchgrass, invades ecologically intact areas of the Sonoran Desert. It competitively excludes native plants and increases fire frequency and intensity. Since the 1990s, whole buffelgrass plants have been manually uprooted and removed to control the invasion in southern Arizona. Uprooting plants results in bare, disturbed soil which promotes buffelgrass seed germination. This study examined whether leaving entire uprooted buffelgrass plants (thatch) on a field site reduces future buffelgrass establishment compared to removing uprooted plants from the site. A secondary goal was to determine whether light reduction and autoallelopathy were major factors in the negative effect of thatch on buffelgrass seedling density. Field plots with an average of 8,095 kg/ha thatch had 1.9 buffelgrass seedlings/m² which was significantly fewer than the 2.9 seedlings/m² in plots without thatch. Thatched portions of thatch plots (50% of their total area) had only 0.7 seedlings/m². In the greenhouse, which reduced outdoor light intensity by 35.2%, buffelgrass seeds sown in bare soil resulted in significantly higher seedling density than beneath buffelgrass thatch. Potential autoallelopathic chemicals leached from partially decomposed buffelgrass thatch and leached thatch had an intermediate but not significant (p = 0.09) effect on seedling numbers. Results suggest that leaving uprooted buffelgrass plants has the benefit of reducing seedling establishment in the area disturbed by uprooting.     

Relationship between speed, soil movement into the cereal row and intra-row weed control efficacy by weed harrowing

Field trials were carried out at a single Danish and two Spanish locations. In Denmark, winter wheat was sown at 24‐cm row spacing allowing hoeing in the inter‐row area. Hoeing speeds of 2, 5 and 8 km h^?1 were tested at the end of tillering, at the beginning of stem elongation or on both occasions. The crop was harrowed immediately after hoeing at the same speed. At the Spanish locations the winter barley was sown at a 12‐cm row spacing and harrowed only, at either pre‐emergence plus post‐emergence, or once post‐emergence at mid‐tillering at 2, 4, 6 and 8 km h^?1. The depth of the soil layer thrown into the cereal row was measured at all locations. This layer ranged between 0.4 and 1.4 cm, depending on the site and on the treatment, but was generally higher following a single harrow treatment at all sites. The soil layer only tended to increase with faster speeds at the Danish location. On a more sandy soil and soil rolled prior to treatment, less soil was thrown into the cereal row. When two hoe + harrowing treatments were made, a finer soil structure was achieved. However, this did not affect the weed control. At the Danish location, initial intra‐row weeding efficacy of Brassica napus, based on plant number before and 7 days after treatment, was found to be low (21–41%) but increased to 74–79% when assessed after 45 days. Partial burial and bending of B. napus, together with crop competition, probably suppressed weed growth and enhanced final mortality. Uprooting was probably a more important cause of mortality for Stellaria media. At the Spanish locations, weeding efficacy of Papaver rhoeas was similar, ranging between 58% and 83% and this was achieved soon after harrowing. A thicker soil layer did not result in a greater weed kill. It was therefore suggested that burial alone could not be the main factor responsible for weed control in any of the cases studied. No reduction in wheat biomass, measured at the end of May, was found with increasing speed, or with repeated passes of the harrow. The results suggested that faster harrowing, which is economically more attractive for farmers, could be recommended. The soil layer thrown into the row was not found to be a useful parameter to predict the weed control efficacy in the cases presented.     

出芽短梗霉菌菌株PA-2的除草活性及对作物的安全性

从青海省平安县发病杨树叶片上分离得到菌株 PA-2,其发酵滤液对多种阔叶杂草表现出较好的除草活性。对该菌株的培养特征和16S rDNA基因序列分析后,确定其为短梗霉属出芽短梗霉菌Aureobasidium pullulans。盆栽试验表明,其发酵滤液对供试阔叶杂草猪殃殃、藜、冬葵、酸模叶蓼及禾本科野燕麦的鲜重防效分别达到87.25%、78.46%、82.25%、62.11%、80.27%。作物安全性试验结果表明,其发酵滤液对小麦、蚕豆、青稞很安全,对油菜、豌豆有轻微影响。综上所述,菌株 PA-2具有作为微生物除草剂的开发潜力。     

Host status effect of cowpea and sunflower on the populations ofMeloidogyne javanica andRotylenchulus reniformis

A highly susceptible cowpea,Vigna sinensis cv. Baladi plants were tested as trap plants for eitherMeloidogyne javanica orRotylenchulus reniformis under greenhouse conditions. The plants were gathered by cutting them above the surface of the soil or by uprooting them, 1/2, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 days after nematode inoculation. Both of the mentioned nematodes began to mature and lay eggs after the 12th day from their inoculation. Hence, it is advised to pull up cowpea plants from 3–12 days after nematode inoculation. After planting sunflower,Helianthus annus cv. Miak replacing cowpea, the nematode populations were higher, in most cases, on sunflower plants replacing cutting cowpea than those on sunflower replacing uprooted cowpea. The highest percentages of nematode reduction were 98.55 and 99.57 forM. javanica and 95.09 and 92.90% forR. reniformis on sunflower plants replacing cutting and uprooted cowpea plants after 12 days from nematode inoculation, respectively.M. javanica andR. reniformis decreased the length and weight of sunflower plants as affected by planting time and method of cowpea harvest. This method of nematode control is cheaper, easy and pollution free.     

Uprooting and shearing resistances in the seedlings of four weedy species

For mechanical weeding, the uprooting force of whole seedlings and the shearing force of basal stems were measured in two grass weeds ( Setaria faberi and Echinochloa crus-galli var. crus-galli ) and two broad-leaved weeds ( Chenopodium album and Amaranthus patulus ), using balance-type equipment and a pair of scissors, respectively. Seedlings were grown in plastic pots. Uprooting and shearing experiments were carried out on the 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th days after sowing. The uprooting force, the shearing force required to fracture the specimen, plant dry matter weight and cross-sectional area exponentially increased as seedlings grew, but the uprooting stress and shearing toughness maintained similar values after the 2nd sampling time, except for the 3rd and 4th sampling times in C. album . The increases in uprooting force and the shearing force required to fracture the specimen were supported by an expansion of the cross-sectional area of stems of the broad-leaved weeds or pseudostems of grass weeds. The higher values of uprooting stress and shearing toughness in C. album were related to an increased area of lignified organs in the basal stems. There was a significant correlation between uprooting and shearing forces. The shearing force was always higher than the uprooting force, so that most seedlings were uprooted and not fractured at the basal stems or pseudostems. The mean ratio of uprooting force to root dry matter weight after the 2nd sampling time suggested a high uprooting resistance at an extremely low amount of root dry matter weight.     

THE EFFECT OF JULY APPLICATIONS OF DALAPON ON THE GROWTH AND BOTANICAL COMPOSITION OF AN AGROSTIS/LOLIUM PASTURE

Summary. Dalapon–sodium at 3.3–7.5 Ib ac/a.e. was applied in early, mid– and late July 1964 to an Agrostis/Lolium pasture for selective control of the weed grasses Agrostis stolonifera, Poa trivialis and Holcus lanatus. These species were significantly more susceptible than Lolium perenne to dalapon at all doses regardless of the time of spraying. The most promising treatment was 33 lb/ac applied on 4th July, which increased the ground cover of L. perenne and substantially reduced Agrostis stolonifera and Poa trivialis. The total yield of herbage 12 weeks after spraying was only 50% of that from the unsprayed control, but the yield of Lolium perenne was not affected. When cut on 21st May and 5th August 1965, total yield was only slightly reduced and that of L. perenne was increased by 60–90%. The successful practical utilization of this selectivity is likely to depend largely on the spacing of the plants of L. perenne in the pasture. Simazine at 0.75 Ib/ac applied to half of each plot 3–4 weeks alter dalapon treatment had no lasting beneficial effect on the composition of the sward.     

Effects of aqueous extracts and decomposition of Mikania micrantha H.B.K. debris on selected agronomic crops

Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effects of aqueous extract and the debris of Mile-a-Minute ( Mikania micrantha H.B.K.) on the germination and growth of four test species, viz. tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), Chinese cabbage ( Brassica chinensis L.), corn ( Zea mays L.) and long bean ( Vigna sesquipedalis L.). Germination percentage, radicle length and fresh weight of two crops, Chinese cabbage and tomato, decreased progressively when plants were exposed to increasing concentrations (12.5, 25, 37.5 and 50 g L⁻¹) of aqueous extract of Mikania , but did not affect those of corn and long bean seedlings. The emergence of tomato and Chinese cabbage was greatly reduced when Mikania debris was incorporated into the soil, irrespective of the amount of debris and the decomposition period. In contrast, the emergence of corn and long bean seedlings was not affected. The application of fertilizer (NPK 15 : 15 : 15) enhanced the fresh weight of all seedlings tested as compared with those not supplied with the fertilizer. Four compounds were identified in the leaf extract of Mikania , viz. caffeic acid, p -hydroxybenzaldehyde, resorcinol and vanillic acid.     

Assessment of leaf cover and crop soil cover in weed harrowing research using digital images

Objective assessment of crop soil cover, defined as the percentage of leaf cover that has been buried in soil because of weed harrowing, is crucial to further progress in post‐emergence weed harrowing research. Up to now, crop soil cover has been assessed by visual scores, which are biased and context‐dependent. The aim of this study was to investigate whether digital image analysis is a feasible method to estimate crop soil cover in the early growth stages of cereals. Two main questions were examined: (i) how to capture suitable digital images under field conditions with a standard high‐resolution digital camera and (ii) how to analyse the images with an automated digital image analysis procedure. The importance of light conditions, camera angle, size of recorded area, growth stage and direction of harrowing were investigated, in order to establish a standard for image capture and an automated image analysis procedure based on the excess green colour index was developed. The study shows that the automated digital image analysis procedure provided reliable estimations of leaf cover, defined as the proportion of pixels in digital images determined to be green, which were used to estimate crop soil cover. A standard for image capture is suggested and it is recommended that digital image analysis be used to estimate crop soil cover in future research. The prospects of using digital image analysis in future weed harrowing research are discussed.     

Tolerance of competitive spring barley cultivars to weed harrowing

Two experiments were conducted in 14 spring barley cultivars to investigate if crop tolerance to post‐emergence weed harrowing is related to morphological traits that reflect competitiveness. The experiments were carried out in organically grown fields where low weed densities and biomass production were assumed to be without significant influence on crop growth. The experiments showed that different cultivars responded differently to post‐emergence weed harrowing in terms of yield reduction. Taller and higher yielding cultivars with high leaf area index (LAI) tended to be less tolerant to post‐emergence weed harrowing than shorter and lower yielding cultivars with low LAI. This conclusion, however, is only valid for 13 of 14 cultivars because one very tall cultivar was tolerant to harrowing. Although the tallest and highest yielding cultivars were damaged the most, they remained the highest yielding cultivars after weed harrowing. This study is the first attempt to relate competitiveness of cereal cultivars to tolerance to harrowing, and it is thought provoking that competitiveness and tolerance is found to be counterproductive.     

Influence of beet soil-borne virus on mechanically inoculated sugar beet

Seven-day-old seedlings of three different sugar-beet varieties (Carla, Rizor and Desirée) were inoculated mechanically with the Ahlum isolate of beet soil-borne virus (BSBV) in crude sap from infected leaves of Chenopodium quinoa. Control plants were mock-inoculated with sap from healthy C. quinoa. After potting up, the plants were arranged in a randomized block design on nine neighbouring benches in a glasshouse. Plants were sampled after 11 weeks, the fresh weight of the tap roots determined and the presence of virus checked by ELISA. Considerable variation in tap-root growth was observed between benches. Overall, BSBV inoculation reduced tap-root weight of Rizor and Carla by c. 20%. Problems arising in attempts to assess yield loss due to BSBV in naturally infected sugar beet are discussed.     

Selectivity of weed harrowing in lupin

Three field experiments were conducted in lupin in 1997, 1998 and 1999 to study two aspects of selectivity of post‐emergence weed harrowing; the ability of the crop to resist soil covering (the initial damage effect), and the ability of the crop to tolerate soil covering (the recovery effect). Each year soil covering curves and crop tolerance curves were established in three early growth stages of lupin. Soil covering curves connected weed control and crop soil cover in weedy plots, and crop tolerance curves connected crop yield and crop soil cover in weed‐free plots. The experiments showed that both resistance and tolerance were unaffected by the growth stage of lupin within the range from the cotyledon to the 7–8 leaf growth stages. Tolerance to soil covering was also unaffected by year whereas the ability of the crop to resist soil covering was highly affected by year. Lupin showed high tolerance to soil covering but a rather low ability to resist soil covering. Harrowing at multiple growth stages supported the finding that lupin is fairly tolerant to soil covering. Advantages and disadvantages of using soil covering as a measure of crop damage is discussed. In conclusion, weed harrowing in lupin showed positive prospects because of high tolerance to crop soil cover.     

Influences of herbicides, uprooting and use as cut flowers on sexual reproduction of Solidago canadensis

Solidago canadensis is a noxious invasive species in China. We examined the influences of herbicides on pollen germination and pollen tube growth and the effects of cutting flowers and herbicides on seed production and quality. We also determined the seed production and resource allocation to different organs of S. canadensis after uprooting the plants during their reproductive periods. The main results were as follows: (i) 49% pollen of S. canadensis was able to germinate on an appropriate medium; (ii) compared with paraquat, ethephon and 2,4-D, glyphosate had an ideal inhibitory effect on pollen germination and the formation of seeds of S. canadensis ; (3) cut flowering branches, when placed in water or nutrient solution, were still able to produce viable seeds; (4) resources were allocated more to the inflorescences to facilitate seed maturation after plants were uprooted at the flowering stage. Uprooted flower branches were still able to produce viable seeds, especially those in full flower. Therefore, in order to reduce the seed production of S. canadensis and spread of the species we suggest: (i) apply glyphosate at the flower bud stage, (ii) completely destroy uprooted plants at flowering stages and (iii) avoid using the flowering branches as ornamental materials.     

Current status of sharka disease in Puglia (Italy) and implementation of an eradication programme1

Plum pox potyvirus (PPV) was introduced into Puglia (IT) a few years ago with infected propagative material coming from nurseries outside the region. Infections were detected in commercial plum and apricot orchards, but not in local nurseries. Extensive surveys were carried out in young apricot, plum and peach orchards to assess the distribution, incidence and spread of PPV infections, with a view to possibly enforcing an eradication programme. Surveys were based on visual inspections of about 300 commercial orchards and nurseries (covering an area of more than 550 ha) in the whole of Puglia, by ELISA and IBM tests, and by biological testing on GF305 of field samples. A total of 23,000 plants were individually checked by ELISA and IEM. The eradication involved 13 plum (35 ha) and 2 apricot (5 ha) orchards showing different levels of PPV infection. Six of the plum plantings showed infection exceeding 30% and were completely uprooted; in the remaining orchards, infection did not exceed 10% and uprooting was limited to infected trees. PPV was never detected in peach. The high incidence of PPV in some plum orchards was due to the heavy initial contamination of propagating material. Secondary virus spread was monitored in apricot orchards and found to occur at a low rate.     

反枝苋对烤烟农艺性状及产值的影响

为了明确烟田主要杂草反枝苋对贵州烤烟农艺性状、产量、产值的影响,反枝苋按0~25株/m~2的密度栽种,共设置13个处理,在烤烟成熟期记录株高、茎粗、叶片数、叶长、叶宽、叶鲜质量、地上植株鲜质量、茎秆鲜质量、叶干质量、产值等一系列指标参数,通过11种曲线方程进行拟合、回归分析。结果发现三次方程(y=b_0+b_1×x+b_2×x~2+b_3×x~3)具有最高的拟合度和实用性,建议生产上可以用该三次方程预测反枝苋对烟草农艺性状、产量、产值的影响。     

Effects of competition, herbicides and activated carbon on establishment of Australian grasses

The establishment of four Australian native grasses, Themeda australis (R.Br) Stapf, Bothriochloa macra (Steud) S.T. Blake, Danthonia spp. and Stipa bigeniculata Hughes, was investigated in a weedy soil under glasshouse conditions at Canberra, Australia. The presence of weeds (approximately 3500/m2) significantly reduced the percentage emergence of Danthonia and Stipa but had no effect on Themeda, Bothriochloa or the pasture species Lolium perenne L. (ryegrass). The percentage reduction in dry matter production after 8 weeks in the presence of weeds was less for Themeda and Bothriochloa (65%) than for Stipa and ryegrass (80%), while Danthonia production was reduced by over 90% Chlorthal-dimethyl at 6 or 12 kg/ha reduced the number of emerged seedlings of Danthonia and Stipa but had no effect on emergence of Themeda and Bothriochloa. Diuron at 4 and 16 kg/ha was toxic to seedlings of all four species. The application of activated carbon as a band or a seed pellet overcame the toxic effects of both herbicides, at least at the lower rates of application. The results are discussed in relation to the establishment of native grasses on urban areas requiring low maintenance.