Journal
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
Volume 85, Issue 4, Pages 527-539Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s10340-012-0433-2
Keywords
Intraspecific competition; Fertilizer Growth analysis; Invasive; Weed biology
Categories
Funding
- ARRS, The Slovenian Research Agency
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Common ragweed is an important annual weed in crop production, and is also considered to be a serious public health problem. Determination of common ragweed growth under various nitrogen (N) rate and plant density could aid the development of an integrated control program. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of N fertilizer and density on common ragweed growth and seed production. In the greenhouse study, the greatest shoot dry matter (SDM) plant(-1) was obtained with the 50 and 100 kg N ha(-1). In the field experiment, SDM plant(-1) in the low density plots responded favorably to the addition of medium and high levels of N compared to the field level of N. With increasing density, ragweed in higher density plots responded only with the highest N rate. The intensity of intraspecific competition increased with increasing density, thus total SDM plant(-1) was significantly reduced, regardless of N rate. Intraspecific competition also reduced the reproductive production of common ragweed where seed production decreased as plant density increased. Plants grown at higher density produced less seeds per plant basis; however, they produced a considerable number of seed on a per area land basis, which is important for the survival of the species and further expansion in agricultural land and non-crop areas. Common ragweed is a fast-growing species, capable of producing considerable biomass and seed at various pure stand densities and N rates. It also justifies the need for early season control to prevent seed production.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available