Growth of seedlings of Agropyron repens L. Beauv. and Agrostis gigantea Roth. in wheat and barley: effect of time of emergence, nitrogen supply and cereal seed rate

As part of a programme of work evaluating the role of seeds in regenerating or initiating infestations of Agropyron repens and Agrostis gigantea, the growth of the weeds was analysed in cereal crops in two experiments. The first experiment investigated the effects of time of planting the weed seedlings (simulating different times of emergence), nitrogen supply and cereal seed rate in winter wheat and the second, the same factors in spring wheat and spring barley. In winter wheat, delaying planting of the weeds from autumn until spring greatly decreased shoot growth and almost completely prevented rhizome formation. Nitrogen fertilizer increased the weight of shoots of both species planted at both times but whereas it increased the amount of rhizome produced by Agropyron it decreased that of Agrostis. Without nitrogen Agrostis had twice as much rhizome as Agropyron but with nitrogen Agropyron had twice as much as Agrostis. Decreasing the cereal seed rate had little effect on rhizome weight when nitrogen was not given but it allowed twice as much rhizome to be produced when it was supplied. However, more longer rhizomes were formed at the smaller than at the larger seed rate with both amounts of nitrogen. In spring cereals, late planting decreased the shoot growth of Agrostis more than that of Agropyron, and of Agropyron in barley more than in wheat, especially at the smaller seed rate. Nitrogen increased shoot weight of Agropyron in wheat but had little effect in barley; it decreased that of Agrostis in barley. On average, rhizome growth was decreased by nitrogen, by increasing the seed rate and by delaying planting. Agropyron rhizomes were heavier in wheat than in barley but those of Agrostis were heavier in barley than in wheat. Agropyron produced most rhizome in thinlysown wheat given nitrogen, but Agrostis most in thinlysown barley without nitrogen. The two treatments had an equal number of rhizomes longer than 100 cm. The agricultural significance of the interaction of the various treatments is briefly discussed.