Correlation between the soil seed bank and weed populations in maize [Zea mays] fields
2006
Rahman, A.(AgResearch, Ruakura Research Center, Hamilton (New Zealand)) | James, T.K. | Grbavac, N.
Annual weed populations establish every year from persistent seed banks in the soil. This 3 year study investigated the relationship between the number of weed seeds in the soil seed bank and the resultant populations of major broadleaf and grass weeds in 30 maize fields. After planting the crop, 1 square m areas were protected from the pre-emergence herbicide application. Soil samples were collected soon after spraying to a depth of 100 mm and the weed seeds therein were enumerated. The emerged weed seedlings in the field sampling areas were counted over the following 8 weeks. Up to 67 broadleaf species and five grass weeds were identified, although not all were found at every site and some were specific to a region or soil type. For the most abundant weeds in the field plots, on average 2.1-8.2% of the seeds of the broadleaf species and 6.2-11.9% of the seeds of the grass weeds in the soil seed bank emerged in any one year, depending on the species. Overall, the results showed a strong linear relationship between the seed numbers in the soil and the seedling numbers in the field for all the grasses and for most broadleaf weeds. For some species, like Trifolium repens, only a weak relationship was observed. In the case of Chenopodium album, which had the largest seed bank, there was evidence of asymptotic behavior, with seedling emergence leveling off at high seed numbers. An estimate of the soil seed bank combined with knowledge of the germination and behavior of specific weed species would thus have good potential for predicting future weed infestations in maize fields.
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