scholarly journals Biology and Management of Vulpia myuros—An Emerging Weed Problem in No-Till Cropping Systems in Europe

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 715
Author(s):  
Muhammad Javaid Akhter ◽  
Peter Kryger Jensen ◽  
Solvejg Kopp Mathiassen ◽  
Bo Melander ◽  
Per Kudsk

Recently, Vulpia myuros has become a problematic grass weed species in parts of Europe. It is most common in no-till cropping systems. The inherent tolerance to several selective grass weed herbicides is of serious concern to the successful management of V. myuros in arable farming. Here, we reviewed the available knowledge about the biology of V. myuros to identify knowledge gaps and assess management efforts to identify best practices for control. V. myuros is a winter-annual species producing seeds with a short dormancy that can germinate at a wide range of conditions. Seed longevity in the soil is short. Little information is available on the influence of V. myuros on crop yield but some results suggest that yield losses can be significant. The findings provide a better understanding of the weedy characteristics of V. myuros and highlight that management strategies in Europe need to be diversified and integrate preventive and cultural control methods. Finally, we identify some of the management tools that should be considered to minimize the impact of V. myuros on European farming and future needs for research to develop sustainable integrated weed management strategies.

Weed Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadeem Iqbal ◽  
Sudheesh Manalil ◽  
Bhagirath S. Chauhan ◽  
Steve W. Adkins

AbstractSesbania [Sesbania cannabina(Retz.) Pers.] is a problematic emerging weed species in Australian cotton-farming systems. However, globally, no information is available regarding its seed germination biology, and better understanding will help in devising superior management strategies to prevent further infestations. Laboratory and glasshouse studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of various environmental factors such as light, temperature, salt, osmotic and pH stress, and burial depth on germination and emergence of two Australian biotypes ofS. cannabina. Freshly harvested seeds of both biotypes possessed physical dormancy. A boiling-water scarification treatment (100±2 C) of 5-min duration was the optimum treatment to overcome this dormancy. Once dormancy was broken, the Dalby biotype exhibited a greater germination (93%) compared with the St George biotype (87%). The nondormant seeds of both biotypes showed a neutral photoblastic response to light and dark conditions, with germination marginally improved (6%) under illumination. Maximum germination of both biotypes occurred under an alternating temperature regime of 30/20 and 35/25 C and under constant temperatures of 32 or 35 C, with no germination at 8 or 11 C. Seed germination of both biotypes decreased linearly from 87% to 14% with an increase in moisture stress from 0.0 to −0.8 MPa, with no germination possible at −1.0 MPa. There was a gradual decline in germination for both biotypes when imbibed in a range of salt solutions of 25 to 250 mM, with a 50% reduction in germination occurring at 150 mM. Both biotypes germinated well under a wide range of pH values (4.0 to 10.0), with maximum germination (94%) at pH 9.0. The greatest emergence rate of the Dalby (87%) and St George (78%) biotypes was recorded at a burial depth of 1.0 cm, with no emergence at 16.0 cm. Deep tillage seems to be the best management strategy to stopS. cannabina’s emergence and further infestation of cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) fields. The findings of this study will be helpful to cotton agronomists in devising effective, sustainable, and efficient integrated weed management strategies for the control ofS. cannabinain cotton cropping lands.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colbach ◽  
Sandrine Petit ◽  
Bruno Chauvel ◽  
Violaine Deytieux ◽  
Martin Lechenet ◽  
...  

The growing recognition of the environmental and health issues associated to pesticide use requires to investigate how to manage weeds with less or no herbicides in arable farming while maintaining crop productivity. The questions of weed harmfulness, herbicide efficacy, the effects of herbicide use on crop yields, and the effect of reducing herbicides on crop production have been addressed over the years but results and interpretations often appear contradictory. In this paper, we critically analyze studies that have focused on the herbicide use, weeds and crop yield nexus. We identified many inconsistencies in the published results and demonstrate that these often stem from differences in the methodologies used and in the choice of the conceptual model that links the three items. Our main findings are: (1) although our review confirms that herbicide reduction increases weed infestation if not compensated by other cultural techniques, there are many shortcomings in the different methods used to assess the impact of weeds on crop production; (2) Reducing herbicide use rarely results in increased crop yield loss due to weeds if farmers compensate low herbicide use by other efficient cultural practices; (3) There is a need for comprehensive studies describing the effect of cropping systems on crop production that explicitly include weeds and disentangle the impact of herbicides from the effect of other practices on weeds and on crop production. We propose a framework that presents all the links and feed-backs that must be considered when analyzing the herbicide-weed-crop yield nexus. We then provide a number of methodological recommendations for future studies. We conclude that, since weeds are causing yield loss, reduced herbicide use and maintained crop productivity necessarily requires a redesign of cropping systems. These new systems should include both agronomic and biodiversity-based levers acting in concert to deliver sustainable weed management.


2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 1122-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotta Clara Kluger ◽  
Sophia Kochalski ◽  
Arturo Aguirre-Velarde ◽  
Ivonne Vivar ◽  
Matthias Wolff

Abstract In February and March 2017, a coastal El Niño caused extraordinary heavy rains and a rise in water temperatures along the coast of northern Peru. In this work, we document the impacts of this phenomenon on the artisanal fisheries and the scallop aquaculture sector, both of which represent important socio-economic activities for the province of Sechura. Despite the perceived absence of effective disaster management and rehabilitation policies, resource users opted for a wide range of different adaptation strategies and are currently striving towards recovery. One year after the event, the artisanal fisheries fleet has returned to operating almost on a normal scale, while the aquaculture sector is still drastically impacted, with many people continuing to work in different economic sectors and even in other regions of the country. Recovery of the social-ecological system of Sechura likely depends on the occurrence of scallop seed and the financial capacity of small-scale producers to reinitiate scallop cultures. Long-term consequences of this coastal El Niño are yet to be studied, though the need to develop trans-local and trans-sectoral management strategies for coping with disturbance events of this scale is emphasized.


2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 993 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Robertson

The impact of different management strategies on production and profit can be evaluated with knowledge of how sheep production responds to changes in the available feed base and sheep or pasture management. This study aimed to quantify on-farm pasture and sheep production in mixed sheep and cropping systems in the Victorian Mallee of south-eastern Australia (325 ± 50 mm annual rainfall) as a prelude to computer simulation modelling. During 2001 (average rainfall) and 2002 (extreme drought) pasture production, the feed base and sheep production were monitored in 15 paddocks on 5 properties located across the region. Crop stubbles were the major source of feed for 6 months of the year, enabling ewes to maintain liveweight. There was more variation in pasture parameters between paddocks at the 1 location than between locations. The botanical composition, plant density, soil fertility and management were key variables associated with between-paddock variation in pasture production. Variation in pasture production between years was larger than within-year differences. In contrast, stocking rates were not much lower in the drought year of 2002 than in 2001. This study suggests there is potential for management to improve pasture production, and demonstrates the importance of feed sources other than annual pasture for sheep production in environments where the annual pasture growing season is short.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob G. Wilson ◽  
Debra Boelk ◽  
Guy B. Kyser ◽  
Joseph M. DiTomaso

AbstractPerennial pepperweed is invasive throughout California. It thrives in a wide range of environments and is a common weed in floodplains, pastures, wetlands, and roadsides. In disturbed areas, perennial pepperweed rapidly forms monotypic stands with a thick litter layer. These infestations not only out-compete other vegetation, but prevent re-establishment of desirable species even after perennial pepperweed control. This experiment examined integrated management strategies with the goal of maximizing perennial pepperweed control and establishment of desirable native vegetation. The experiment was conducted at two sites in Lassen County, CA. Both sites were heavily infested with perennial pepperweed and lacked competing vegetation. The experimental design was a split-split-randomized block with four replications. Site preparation treatments included winter burning, summer and fall mowing, winter grazing, and fall disking. These treatments were designed to remove thatch to facilitate herbicide application and reseeding of desirable perennial grasses. Herbicide treatments included chlorsulfuron, 2,4-D, or glyphosate applied at the flower bud stage. Revegetation treatments included no seeding and no-till seeding of native perennial grasses. Most site preparation plus herbicide combinations reduced perennial pepperweed cover > 85% compared to the untreated control, although treatment efficacy was variable between sites and years. Burning, grazing, mowing, or disking in combination with herbicide treatment and no-till seeding was necessary for successful native perennial grass establishment. Burning or mowing with yearly 2,4-D applications for 3 yr gave the best combination of perennial pepperweed control and native grass establishment. Chlorsulfuron caused chlorosis and stunting to western wheatgrass, basin wildrye, and beardless wildrye at both sites when applied the spring before seeding. No treatment offered complete weed control, suggesting follow-up spot herbicide applications are needed for long-term perennial pepperweed suppression. These results provide several successful integrated strategies for control of perennial pepperweed and revegetation to a desired native perennial grass community.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 671
Author(s):  
Jane Kelly ◽  
Allison Chambers ◽  
Paul Weston ◽  
William Brown ◽  
Wayne Robinson ◽  
...  

Barley grass (Hordeum murinum subsp. glaucum.) is an annual weed associated with grain revenue loss and sheep carcass damage in southern Australia. Increasing herbicide resistance led to a recent investigation into effective integrated weed management strategies for barley grass in southern Australia. Field studies in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales (NSW) during 2016 and 2017 examined the effect of post-emergent herbicide applications and strategic defoliation by mowing on barley grass survival and seed production in a mixed legume pasture. Statistically significant differences between herbicide-only treatments in both years showed propaquizafop to be more than 98% effective in reducing barley grass survival and seed production. Paraquat was not effective in controlling barley grass (58% efficacy), but led to a 36% and 63.5% decrease in clover and other weed biomass, respectively, after 12 months and increased lucerne biomass by over three-fold after 24 months. A single repeated mowing treatment resulted in a 46% decline in barley grass seedling emergence after 12 months and, when integrated with herbicide applications, reduced other weed biomass after 24 months by 95%. Resistance to acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibiting herbicides observed in local barley grass populations led to additional and more focused investigation comparing the efficacy of other pre- and post-emergent herbicides for barley grass management in legume pastures. Haloxyfop-R + simazine or paraquat, applied at early tillering stage, were most efficacious in reducing barley grass survival and fecundity. Impact of defoliation timing and frequency on barley grass seedlings was also evaluated at various population densities, highlighting the efficacy of repeated post-inflorescence defoliations in reducing plant survival and seed production. Results highlight the importance of optimal environmental conditions and application timing in achieving efficacious control of barley grass and improving pasture growth and biomass accumulation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Wallace ◽  
Pamela L. S. Pavek ◽  
Timothy S. Prather

AbstractVentenata dubia is an exotic winter annual grass that has invaded Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands, improved pastures, intensively managed hay fields, and rangelands within the Intermountain Pacific Northwest (PNW). Currently, producers are attempting to develop V. dubia management strategies with little knowledge of its life history traits. We conducted several studies to characterize V. dubia life history patterns. Preliminary germination trials were completed to describe primary and secondary dormancy characteristics. Field studies were conducted to evaluate (1) seed bank persistence patterns, (2) seedling emergence patterns under V. dubia litter, and (3) seedling emergence and phenological development patterns within timothy hay, CRP, and rangeland habitats. Preliminary germination trials suggest that the after-ripening period required for loss of dormancy does not exceed 30 d and that dormancy breakdown peaks at approximately 90 d, after which germination occurs over a wide range of temperatures (9 to 29 C). A small fraction (< 1%) of the seed bank remained germinable up to 3 yr after burial at 2 cm depth in a grassland habitat. Seedling emergence and survival was significantly greater under high V. dubia litter layers (100% cover) compared with bare surface during the drier study year because of higher soil moisture levels maintained under litter. Across habitat types, mean seedling emergence (50% of total) occurred between 33 and 94 growing degree days (GDD) after soil moisture rose above the permanent wilting point in the fall. Seedling emergence periodicity varied among habitat types in relation to spring seedling emergence, ranging from 0 to 13% of total emergence per year. Phenological development differed across sites and years by up to several hundred GDDs but was closely aligned to Julian days. This collection of studies improves our understanding of V. dubia life history traits and will aid integrated weed management strategies in the Intermountain PNW.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0247137
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shahzad ◽  
Khawar Jabran ◽  
Mubshar Hussain ◽  
Muhammad Aown Sammar Raza ◽  
Leonard Wijaya ◽  
...  

The world population will rise in future, which would demand more wheat production to fulfil dietary needs of wheat-dependent population of the world. Food security in wheat-dependent regions will greatly rely on wheat productivity. Weed infestation is a major constraint reducing wheat productivity globally. Nonetheless, cropping systems and weed management strategies strongly influence weed infestation in modern agriculture. Herbicides are the key weed management tool in conventional agriculture. However, frequent use of herbicides have resulted in the evolution of herbicide-resistance weeds, which made weed management a challenging task. Sustainable and eco-friendly weed management strategies shift weed-crop competition in the favour of crop plants. Limited studies have evaluated the interactive effect of cropping systems and weed management strategies on weed flora of wheat-based cropping systems (WBCSs). This two-year study evaluated the impact of different weed management strategies (WMSs) on weed flora of WBCSs, i.e., fallow-wheat (FW), rice-wheat (RW), cotton-wheat (CW), mungbean-wheat (MW) and sorghum-wheat (SW). The WMSs included in the study were, false seedbed, allelopathic water extracts and herbicide application, while weed-free and weedy-check were maintained as control treatments. Data relating to diversity and density of individual and total broadleaved and narrow-leaved weeds were recorded. The WBCSs, WMSs and their interaction significantly altered diversity and density of individual, total, broadleaved and narrow-leaved weeds. Weed-free and weedy-check treatments recorded the lowest and the highest values of diversity and density of individual, total, broadleaved and narrow-leaved weeds. Herbicide application effectively reduced density and diversity of weeds. Allelopathic water extracts and false seedbed proved less effective than herbicides. On the other hand, SW cropping system not only reduced weed density but also limited the weed flora. It is concluded that false seedbed and SW cropping system can be efficiently used to manage weeds in WBCSs. However, long-term studies are needed to infer the impact of SW cropping system and false seedbed on soil properties, soil microbes and productivity of wheat crop.


Osvitolohiya ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 143-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iryna Sokolova ◽  

The Bologna Reform Process, which became the focal point of reform in most European countries, brought a wide range of quality concerns into the central arena of higher education discourse. Quality Assurance processes were supposed to support an increased institutional attention. The aim of this paper is to create a better the EUA's Input to EHEA Policy Making. EUA carries out a variety of activities that are underpinned by the belief that the main responsibility for quality assurance lies within higher education institutions. EUA Policy Statement on Quality and Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area аre identified and described in the article.It is determined the impact of the EUA in shaping European quality culture through the development of educational policy and decision-conceptual documents, the annual European Quality Assurance Forums to consolidate internal and external stakeholders, expand the dialogue format in the context of the EHEA changing landscape and the best practices implementation for quality assurance. The keynote presentations of the EQAF (2006-2016) focused on current trends in quality assurance. The quality culture approach promoted by EUAdiffers clearly frommore traditional quality management strategies, shifting attention to more development-oriented and value-based aspects. Based on the results of the projects different approaches towards quality, quality culture, or formal quality assurance and accreditation procedures are focusedin the paper. The Institutional evaluation programme in higher education, realizedin 45 countries, is described. Other programs and projects that define the tasks of quality management are characterized in thepaper. Trends in quality assurance are presented in the article taking into account the national and European contexts. This paper outlines EUA key objectives for 2017-2019. Support the creation of thequality culture in higher education institutionsis one of them.


2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 75-94
Author(s):  
Ainur Ainiah Azman Husni ◽  
Siti Izera Ismail ◽  
Noraini Jaafar ◽  
Dzarifah Zulperi

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) caused by Acidovorax citrulli, represents one of the most destructing diseases of cucurbits, especially to watermelon- and melon producing-regions. This disease has been spread sporadically to many countries globally, due to the unintentionally dispersal of contaminated commercial seeds. The BFB causes massive yield losses up to 100% under conducive conditions. Once infected, all parts of the host plants are extremely susceptible to this bacterium, especially the seedlings and fruits parts. In recent years, various management approaches and detection tools have been employed to control A. citrulli. Genotypic characterization methods revealed two distinct groups of A. citrulli strains; (i) group I strains primarily isolated from non-watermelon cucurbits and consist of moderate to highly aggressive strains from wide range of cucurbit hosts, and (ii) group II strains isolated from watermelon which are highly aggressive on watermelon, but mildly aggressive on non-watermelon hosts. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review research findings where the impact of diverse methods and management approaches were applied in detection and controlling of A. citrulli infection. A better understanding of this devastating bacterium will serve as guidelines for agricultural practitioners in developing the most efficient and sustainable BFB control strategies.


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