The effects of soil texture and moisture on reproductive strategies of Spergula arvensis L. and Plantago major L.

The reproductive strategies of two weeds, Spergula arvensis L. and Plantago major L., were studied in relation to soil texture and moisture regime. On sandy soil, daily watering gave greatest dry wt per plant in S. arivensis, while fortnightly watering gave the greatest in P. major. In P. major, seed production was increased with increased moisture stress in sandy soil, but not in garden soil when watered fortnightly. Conversely, S. arvensis showed a decrease in seed number with increasing moisture stress in both soil types. The reproductive effort of S. arvensis was much greater (26.2–63.1%) than P. major (2.3–9.2%). There was greater emphasis on reproduction by S. arvensis under both soil types and various moisture regimes while P. major was characterized by higher allocation to vegetative structures which may confer a competitive advantage by increasing its efficiency of resource capture. Thus, S. arvensis seems to be r-selected and P. major K-selected. The differences in the reproductive strategies of the two weeds are discussed with reference to the environmental conditions under which they grow in nature.