Interference of Sinapis arvensis L. and Chenopodium album L. in spring rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

Interference of Sinapis arvensis L. (wild mustard) and Chenopodium album L. (lamb's-quarters) in spring rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) was studied under field conditions in 1983 and 1984. Both weed species interfered with rapeseed early in the growing season, causing significant reductions in rapeseed dry weight by June of each year. Sinapis arvensis caused greater rapeseed grain yield reductions than did C. album. With weed densities of 20–80 plants m^?2, rapeseed grain yield reductions ranged from 19 to 77% with S. arvensis but only 20 to 25% with C. album. Rapeseed yield reductions caused by mixtures of both weed species ranged from being less than to being equal to the sum of reductions caused by each weed alone, depending on the weed density and year of study. Both weed species were prolific seed producers capable of returning large quantities of seed to the soil. With weed densities ranging from 10–80 plants m^?2, S. arvensis produced 5700–30 100 seeds m^?2 while C. album produced 3100–63 600 seeds m^?2.     

Interactions between fertilizer use and leatherjacket control in grassland

A coordinated experiment was set up in eight fields of established grass; four In Northern Ireland and four in the West of Scotland. At each site one of three different fertilizer rates (0, 75 and 150 kg N ha^-1) were applied to plots that had previously either received a 0.72 kg ha^-1 chlorpyrifos treatment to control leatherjackets or no spray. Both fertilizer and insecticide applications increased herbage yields. Yield increases in response to chlorpyrifos treatments were equivalent to that obtained from 75 kg N but were not linearly related to leatherjacket numbers. A curvilinear function relating loss per leatherjacket to population size was derived and its validity is discussed. It is concluded that herbage yield increases resulting from chlorpyrifos and nitrogen applications were independent and cumulative.     

The annual leatheijacket survey in Northern Ireland, 1965–82, and some factors affecting populations

An annual leatherjacket survey was made each winter in Northern Ireland from 1965 to 1982. Over this period the mean population was 520,130/ha and showed less annual variation than in some parts of Britain. This appears to be due to the regulation of populations by rainfall in July, August and November rather than in September and October as has been shown elsewhere.
It is concluded that in Northern Ireland 18,096 ha of grassland would benefit from an insecticide treatment each year. Grassland with leatheijacket populations of 1 × 10⁶/ha or more may suffer damage and up to 100,000 ha are at risk each year. Leatherjackets are therefore considered to be serious pests of grassland in Northern Ireland.     

Reduced herbicide doses in field crops: A review

Farmers are becoming increasingly interested in more comprehensive weed management programs that reduce weed populations over time and in the use of reduced herbicide doses that lower their production costs. Research indicates that there is good potential to reduce the number of herbicide applications and utilize lower herbicide doses within competitive cropping systems. Diverse crop rotations, competitive cultivars, higher crop seed rates, reduced row spacing, specific fertilizer placement, and cover crops have been identified as integral components of competitive cropping systems. This review paper explores the potential for successful use of reduced herbicide doses within competitive cropping systems that have a multiyear approach to weed management. The utilization of decision support systems or new methods of assessing active weed growth are discussed in light of further enhancing the successful use of reduced herbicide doses and advising farmers on when (and when not) they might be a viable option.     

A possible involvement of gibberellin in the mechanism of Avenafatua resistance to triallate and cross-resistance to difenzoquat

Avena fatua L. populations from numerous fields in Alberta have simultaneously developed resistance to recommended rates of two dissimilar herbicides, triallate and difenzoquat. We used exogenous applications of gibberellic acid (GA₃) to investigate the possibility that endogenous gibberellins were involved in the A. fatua 's resistance mechanism. For control plants, without applied GA₃, shoots of the most resistant (R) populations emerged more rapidly and elongated faster than shoots of the susceptible (S) populations. Increases in shoot elongation in response to exogenous GA₃ were significantly lower in R populations compared with S populations. This suggests that R populations may have elevated endogenous gibberellin levels, relative to S populations. Additionally, inhibition of S population shoot elongation and shoot anatomical abnormalities caused by relatively low concentrations of triallate and difenzoquat could be prevented by exogenous application of GA₃. These results suggest that there may be a phytohormonal involvement in the mechanism of triallate/difenzoquat resistance in A. fatua . That is, higher endogenous gibberellin levels in R populations may result in meristematic growth that is rapid enough to preclude phytotoxic levels of these herbicides from reaching the shoot meristem, which is the likely site of action.