Posts Tagged: seed bank

Don't forget about the seedbank

When we think about weed control in crop production, we often think about 'short-term' result, i.e. weed control after 30 days, weed control after 60 days, weed control at harvest, etc. But weeds and weed control efforts in one crop can significantly influence the density and composition of weeds...

The Case for Removing Weeds From Growing Areas

One point I always make is that the sooner you control annual weeds, the better. This reduces crop-weed competition, along with a host of other issues caused by weeds (we'll save that for another blog). But the real key to forward-looking weed management is to kill the weed before it produces seeds. Once seeds are produced, they contribute to the seed bank, pretty much ensuring that the weed population will be a continual problem.

But suppose you miss some weeds that are starting to flower but the flowers aren't open yet? I think most growers will just pull or cut the weed and leave it in or near the field.  

I want to show you a time-lapse video I took. I cut the flowering stem off of an annual sowthistle plant and took a photo with a special camera every minute for 6 days. As you can clearly see, even though the stem was no longer receiving water or nutrients from the soil, at least the flower bud continued to mature and produce seeds. Now, having said that, I have not germinated the seeds to see if they are viable, but there is a good chance they are. Click HERE for video. It's about 1 1/2 minutes long, but most of the action happens in the first 50 seconds.

So the take home message - if the weeds have flower buds starting to open, remove them to covered piles, trash cans, or other area where they will not be a source of new weed seeds. 

 

The Case for Removing Weeds From Growing Areas

One point I always make is that the sooner you control annual weeds, the better. The reduces crop-weed competition, along with a host of other issues caused by weeds (we'll save that for another blog).  But the real key to forward-looking weed management is to kill the weed before it...

Want to Achieve Really Successful Weed Control? - Think About the Seeds!

Or rather, think about the weed seedbank, which is the reservoir of viable weed seeds held within the soil profile of an ecosystem. These seeds may be recent additions (e.g. seed that was produced on mother plants within the previous year) or else dormant seeds that have persisted in the soil...

Steaming and other management practices for pre-plant weed control in nurseries

Introduction Weed seed are the means by which annual weeds reproduce and disperse. The seed buried in the soil is referred to as the seedbank. Most seed in the soil seedbank were produced in the same field or greenhouse. Some of the seed in the seedbank moved there through the actions of wind,...

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