Exploratory data analysis to identify factors influencing spatial distributions of weed seed banks

Weed Science ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 936-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Wiles ◽  
M. Brodahl

Comparing distributions among fields, species, and management practices will help us understand the spatial dynamics of weed seed banks, but analyzing observational data requires nontraditional statistical methods. We used cluster analysis and classification and regression tree analysis (CART) to investigate factors that influence spatial distributions of seed banks. CART is a method for developing predictive models, but it is also used to explain variation in a response variable from a set of possible explanatory variables. With cluster analysis, we identified patterns of variation with direction of the distance over which seed bank density was correlated (range of spatial dependence) with single-species seed banks in corn. Then we predicted patterns of the seed banks with CART using field and species characteristics and seed bank density as explanatory variables. Patterns differed by magnitude of variation in the range of spatial dependence (strength of anisotropy) and direction of the maximum range. Density and type of irrigation explained the most variation in pattern. Long ranges were associated with large seed banks and stronger anisotropy with furrow than center pivot irrigation. Pattern was also explained by seed size and longevity, characteristics for natural dispersal, species, soil texture, and whether the weed was a grass or broadleaf. Significance of these factors depended on density or type of irrigation, and some patterns were predicted for more than one combination of factors. Dispersal was identified as a primary process of spatial dynamics and pattern varied for seed spread by tillage, wind, or natural dispersal. However, demographic characteristics and density were more important in this research than in previous research. Impact of these factors may have been clearer because interactions were modeled. Lack of data will be the greatest obstacle to using comparative studies and CART to understand the spatial dynamics of weed seed banks.

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
MM Hossain ◽  
M Begum

The seed bank is the resting place of weed seeds and is an important component of the life cycle of weeds. Seed banks are the sole source of future weed populations of the weed species both annuals and perennials that reproduce only by seeds. For this reason, understanding fate of seeds in the seed bank can be an important component of overall weed control. When weed seeds enter the seed bank, several factors influence the duration for which seeds persist. Seeds can sense the surrounding environment in the seed bank and use these stimuli to become dormant or initiate germination. Soil and crop management practices can directly influence the environment of seeds in the soil weed seed bank and can thus be used to manage seed longevity and germination behavior of weed seeds.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 13(2): 221-228, December 2015


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian Gu ◽  
Yu Cen ◽  
Liyue Guo ◽  
Caihong Li ◽  
Han Yuan ◽  
...  

The long-term use of herbicides to remove weeds in fallow croplands can impair soil biodiversity, affect the quality of agricultural products, and threaten human health. Consequently, the identification of methods that can effectively limit the weed seed bank and maintain fallow soil fertility without causing soil pollution for the next planting is a critical task. In this study, four weeding treatments were established based on different degrees of disturbance to the topsoil: natural fallow (N), physical clearance (C), deep tillage (D), and sprayed herbicide (H). The changes in the soil weed seed banks, soil nutrients, and soil microbial biomass were carefully investigated. During the fallow period, the C treatment decreased the annual and biennial weed seed bank by 34% against pretreatment, whereas the H treatment did not effectively reduce the weed seed bank. The D treatment had positive effects on the soil fertility, increasing the available nitrogen 108% over that found in the N soil. In addition, a pre-winter deep tillage interfered with the rhizome propagation of perennial weeds. The total biomass of soil bacterial, fungal, and actinomycete in H treatment was the lowest among the four treatments. The biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the N treatment was respectively 42%, 35%, and 91%, higher than that in the C, D, and H treatments. An ecological weeding strategy was proposed based on our findings, which called for exhausting seed banks, blocking seed transmission, and taking advantage of natural opportunities to prevent weed growth for fallow lands. This study could provide a theoretical basis for weed management in fallow fields and organic farming systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Charles N. Nyamwamu ◽  
Rebecca Karanja ◽  
Peter Mwangi

This study sought to determine the relation between soil weed seed bank and weed management practices and diversity in farms in Kisii Central Sub County, Western Kenya. Eight administrative sub-locations were randomly selected. Ten farms were selected at equal distance along transect laid across each sub-location. Weed soil seed bank was assessed from soil samples collected from each of the farms; a sub-sample was taken from a composite sample of ten soil cores of 5cm diameter and 15cm deep and placed in germination trays in a greenhouse. Weed diversity in soil weed seedbank was calculated using the Shannon index (H’). Twelve weed species from 12 genera of nine families were recorded. Diversity of the weed species in soil weed seed bank was (H'=1.48). Weed management practises significantly affected weed species soil weed seedbank reserves. Use of inefficient and ineffective hand-weeding techniques resulted in high weed species diversity and abundance.


Weed Science ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 533-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Smith ◽  
Randa Jabbour ◽  
Andrew G. Hulting ◽  
Mary E. Barbercheck ◽  
David A. Mortensen

The transition period to certified organic production can present a significant weed management challenge for growers. Organic certification requires that prohibited fertilizers and pesticides must not have been used for 36 mo before harvest of the first organic crop. Understanding how organic management practices and initial weed seed-bank densities affect weed population dynamics during the transition period may improve weed management efficacy and adoption of organic practices. We examined how tillage systems (full or reduced) and cover crop species planted during the first transition year (rye or a mixture of timothy and red clover) affect the seedling densities of three common annual weed species, common lambsquarters, velvetleaf, and foxtail spp., during the 3-yr transition period. Weed seeds were applied in a one-time pulse at the beginning of the study at three densities, low, medium, and high (60, 460, and 2,100 seeds m−2, respectively), and cumulative seedling densities of each species were assessed annually. Treatment factors had variable and species-specific effects on weed seedling densities. In general, the full-tillage system, with an initial cover crop of timothy and red clover, resulted in the lowest density of weed seedlings following seed-bank augmentation. There was little consistent association between the initial densities of applied weed seeds in the weed seed bank at the start of the transition and weed seedling densities at the end of the transition period. This suggests that when multiple crop and weed cultural management practices are employed during the organic transition period, initial failures in weed management may not necessarily lead to persistent and intractable annual weed species management problems following organic certification.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klayton Antonio do Lago Lopes ◽  
Marcelo De Sousa Silva ◽  
Leandro Dos Santos Costa ◽  
Taciella Fernandes Silva ◽  
Tiago Vieira da Costa ◽  
...  

Characterization of the seeds bank is an essential tool for decision making on weed control and management practices and the study and maintenance of the ecological dynamics of natural areas. In this context, the present study aimed to characterize the spatial variability of the seeds bank in an experimental agricultural field and an anthropized cerrado area, using the ordinary kriging geostatistical technique. Sampling was carried out on 10x10 regular grids in two different environments. Area 01 consisted of an experimental agricultural field of annual crops (soy and corn); area 02 represented the anthropized cerrado. The sample grids consisted of 25 points collected at a depth of 0.00-0.20 m. The soil samples were placed in 6.38 dm3 and 0.05 m² plastic containers. Spatial distribution maps of the species found have been drawn up, grouped in dicotyledonous, monocotyledonous, and total density, in addition, the density of three weeds most found in each area. The weed seed bank present strong spatial variability to 01 and 02, which indicates behavior in spots or in patches for both dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants, especially Mollugo verticillata L. and Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. in the experimental field, and for Richardia scabra L. and Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. in the anthropized cerrado. The ordinary kriging technique made it possible to map the weed seed bank and, therefore, it may work as an efficient tool in controlling weeds in agricultural fields, especially in its pre-emergence phase. Furthermore, it can assist in the recovery of native anthropized vegetation. 


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 459f-460
Author(s):  
Faye Propsom ◽  
Emily Hoover

Weed control in strawberries, either in a new planting or one that is established, is a major source of problems for growers in Minnesota. To control weeds, growers need to know which weeds are a problem, which weeds are deleterious, and which weeds have the potential to become a problem. Weeds present, soil type, and weed seed bank information are needed in order to predict potential weed problems. With different weed control practices applied between and within the rows, we assumed weed seed bank populations would vary. In addition, we were interested in seeing if the seed banks differed between soil types and individual farmer's cultural practices. Soil samples were collected from 13 commercial strawberry fields located around the Twin Cities metro area. In 1996, samples were taken after renovation and before mulch was applied. In 1997, they were taken after mulch was removed and prior to renovation. The soil samples for each date, treatment, and farm were dried, and organic matter was separated from inorganic. The weed seeds were removed from the remaining organic matter, identified and counted. Soil types and cultural practices were used to compare the differences among the farms.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Gibson ◽  
John Mcmillan ◽  
Stephen G. Hallett ◽  
Thomas Jordan ◽  
Stephen C. Weller

Weeds that emerge between rows in fresh market tomatoes after the critical period of competition are not suppressed by the crop and can produce large quantities of seed. A living mulch planted between rows might limit weed seed production. Buckwheat was seeded between tomato rows after the critical period in 2007 and 2008 in field studies near Lafayette, IN. Weeds were allowed to emerge after the critical period (CP), controlled throughout the growing season (no seed threshold [NST]), or mowed to limit seed production (MOW). Buckwheat and MOW plots were mowed twice after the critical period in 2007 and once in 2008. Seed banks were sampled after the critical period and in the following spring. Tomato yields were not reduced by growing buckwheat between rows. Seed bank densities for common purslane and carpetweed, which escaped mowing due to their prostrate habits, increased in all treatments. Germinable seed bank densities were 306 seeds m−2or less in the NST and buckwheat treatments but 755 seeds m−2or more in the CP treatments for species with erect habits in both years. Seed bank densities were lower in the MOW treatment than in the CP treatments in 2007 but not in 2008. In a parallel experiment conducted in adjacent plots, buckwheat was seeded at five rates (0, 56, 112, 168, and 224 kg seed ha−1). Plots were mowed and emergent weeds sampled as described for the intercrop experiment. Weed densities before mowing decreased linearly with buckwheat seed rate. After mowing, no relationship was detected between seed rate and weed densities. This study supports the hypothesis that a living mulch planted after the critical period can be used to limit seed bank growth without reducing tomato yields, but additional research is needed to better understand the effect of mowing on living mulch growth and weed suppression.


Weed Science ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon G. Leon ◽  
David L. Wright ◽  
James J. Marois

Crop rotation promotes productivity, nutrient cycling, and effective pest management. However, in row-crop systems, rotation is frequently limited to two crops. Adding a third crop, especially a perennial crop, might increase crop-rotation benefits, but concerns about disruption of agricultural and ecological processes preclude grower adoption of a three-crop rotation. The objective of the present research was to determine whether weed seed banks differ between a sod-based rotation (bahiagrass–bahiagrass–peanut–cotton) and a conventional peanut–cotton rotation (peanut–cotton–cotton) and the importance of crop phase in weed seed-bank dynamics in a long-term experiment initiated in 1999 in Florida. Extractable (ESB) and germinable (GSB) seed banks were evaluated at the end of each crop phase in 2012 and 2013, and total weed seed or seedling number, Shannon-Weiner's diversity (H′), richness, and evenness were determined. ESB increased in H′ (36%), richness (29%), and total number of weed seeds (40%) for sod-based compared with conventional rotation, whereas GSB increased 32% in H′, 27% in richness, and 177% in total number of weed seedlings. Crop phase was a determinant factor in the differences between crop rotations. The first year of bahiagrass (B1) exhibited increases in weed seed and seedling number, H′, and richness and had the highest values observed in the sod-based rotation. These increases were transient, and in the second year of bahiagrass (B2), weed numbers and H′ decreased and reached levels equivalent to those in the conventional peanut–cotton rotation. The B1 phase increased the germinable fraction of the seed bank, compared with the other crop phases, but not the total number of weed seeds as determined by ESB. The increases in H′ and richness in bahiagrass phases were mainly due to grass weed species. However, these grass weed species were not associated with peanut and cotton phases of the sod-based rotation. The results of the present study demonstrated that including bahiagrass as a third crop in a peanut–cotton rotation could increase weed community diversity, mainly by favoring increases in richness and diversity, but the structure and characteristics of the rotation would prevent continuous increases in the weed seed bank that could affect the peanut and cotton phases.


2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt A. Sanderson ◽  
Robert Stout ◽  
Sarah Goslee ◽  
Jeff Gonet ◽  
Richard G. Smith

Sanderson, M. A., Stout, R., Goslee, S., Gonet, J. and Smith, R. G. 2014. Soil seed bank community structure of pastures and hayfields on an organic farm. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 621–631. Understanding the composition of seed banks in pasture soils would help farmers anticipate and manage for weed problems. We characterized the soil seed bank in eight pastures and hayfields [two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and two predominantly grass hayfields; two recently established and two permanent pastures] within an organic dairy farm in southeastern New Hampshire. Seed banks were sampled in the upper 5 cm of soil in each field at a point scale in 2007 and 2010. In 2010, the seed bank was characterized at the field scale by taking soil samples on six 52-m transects in each field. Seed banks sampled at the field scale in 2010 contained 66 plant species. The total number of seeds in the seed bank ranged from 1560 m−2 in grass hayfields in autumn to more than 20 000 m−2 in alfalfa hayfields in summer. Annual forbs dominated the seed bank of alfalfa fields and recently established pastures, whereas perennial graminoids dominated in one grass hayfield and the permanent pastures. These results suggest that management history affects soil seed bank composition and abundance, and these effects should be considered before implementing management practices that could stimulate recruitment from the seed bank.


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