Robert E. Blackshaw

Differential response of weed species to added nitrogen

Abstract Information on responses of weeds to various soil fertility levels is required to develop fertilizer management strategies as components of integrated weed management programs. A controlled environment study was conducted to determine shoot and root growth response of 23 agricultural weeds to N fertilizer applied at 0, 40, 80, 120, 180, or 240 mg kg−1 soil. Wheat and canola were included as control species. Shoot and root growth of all weeds increased with added N, but the magnitude of the response varied greatly among weed species. Many weeds exhibited similar or greater responses in shoot and root biomass to increasing amounts of soil N, compared with wheat or canola. With increasing amounts of N, 15 weed species showed a greater increase in shoot biomass, and 8 species showed a greater increase in root biomass, compared with wheat. Ten weed species exhibited increases in shoot biomass similar to that exhibited by canola, and five weed species showed greater increases in root biomass than did canola, as N dose was increased. All crop and weed species extracted > 80% of available N at low soil N levels. At the highest N dose, 17 of 23 weed species took up similar or greater amounts of soil N than did wheat, and 6 weed species took up N in amounts similar to that taken up by canola. These findings have significant implications as to how soil fertility affects crop–weed competition. The high responsiveness of many weed species to N may be a weakness to be exploited through development of fertilizer management methods that enhance crop competitiveness with weeds. Nomenclature: Canola, Brassica napus L. ‘Excel’; spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Katepwa’.

Nitrogen fertilizer timing and application method affect weed growth and competition with spring wheat

Abstract Managing crop fertilization may be an important component of integrated weed management systems that protect crop yield and reduce weed populations over time. A field study was conducted to determine the effects of various timings and application methods of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on weed growth and spring wheat yield. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied the previous fall (October) or at planting (May) at a dose of 50 kg ha−1. Nitrogen application treatments consisted of granular ammonium nitrate applied broadcast on the soil surface, banded 10 cm deep between every crop row, banded 10 cm deep between every second crop row, or point-injected liquid ammonium nitrate placed between every second crop row at 20-cm intervals and 10 cm deep. Treatments were applied in 4 consecutive yr to determine annual and cumulative effects over years. Density and biomass of wild oat, green foxtail, wild mustard, and common lambsquarters were sometimes lower with spring- than with fall-applied N. Spring wheat yield was never lower and was higher in 50% of the cases, when N was spring rather than fall applied. Nitrogen application method generally had larger and more consistent effects than application timing on weed growth and wheat yield. Shoot N concentration and biomass of weeds were often lower with subsurface banded or point-injected N than with surface broadcast N, and concurrent increases in spring wheat yield usually occurred with these N placement treatments. Depending on the weed species, the weed seedbank at the conclusion of the 4-yr study was reduced by 25 to 63% with point-injected compared with broadcast N. Information gained in this study will contribute to the development of more integrated and cost-effective weed management programs in wheat. Nomenclature: Common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. CHEAL; green foxtail, Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. SETVI; wild mustard, Brassica kaber (DC.) L. C. Wheeler SINAR; wild oat, Avena fatua L. AVEFA; spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Katepwa’.

Seeding rate, herbicide timing and competitive hybrids contribute to integrated weed management in canola (Brassica napus)

Implementing a favourable agronomic practice often enhances canola production. Combining several optimal practices may further increase production, and, given greater crop health and competitiveness, could also improve weed control. A field experiment was conducted at Lacombe and Lethbridge, Alberta, from 1998 to 2000, to determine the optimal combination of glufosinate-tolerant cultivar (hybrid InVigor 2153 or open-pollinated Exceed), crop seeding rate (100, 150, or 200 seeds m-2) and time of weed removal (two-, four-, or six-leaf stage of canola) for canola yield and weed suppression. At equal targeted seeding rates, the hybrid cultivar had greater seedling density (8 plants m-2 higher) and seed yield (22% higher) when compared with the open-pollinated cultivar. Combining the better cultivar with the highest seeding rate, and the earliest time of weed removal led to a 41% yield increase compared with the combination of the weaker cultivar, the lowest seeding rate and the latest time of weed removal. The...

Weed management in conservation tillage systems for wheat production in North and South America

Abstract Soil erosion by wind or water is a serious problem in North and South America. When no-till or reduced tillage is used to control erosion, the density of certain annual and perennial weeds can increase and new weed control techniques are usually required. The effects of conservation tillage on annual and perennial weeds, weeds that are spread by wind, plants from rangelands and pasture as weeds and volunteer plants as weeds are reviewed. Current weed control methods with minimum tillage, herbicides, cover crops and other cultural practices in conservation tillage systems in North and South America are described. Some producers are successfully controlling weeds in continuous summer cropping systems in North America and in double cropping systems that include wheat in the winter and soybean or corn in the summer in Brazil, Argentina and southeastern United States. Successful conservation tillage systems usually involve cropping sequences of three or more crop types and several herbicides. In these cropping sequences, the ground is covered with a crop during most of the period in which the climate is favourable for weed growth. Perennial weeds are a problem in all tillage systems and there is a general dependence on glyphosate for perennial weed control. In successful conservation tillage systems, the amount and cost of herbicides used is similar to that for herbicides used in conventional tillage systems.

Tillage intensity and crop rotation affect weed community dynamics in a winter wheat cropping system

Development of improved weed manage ment systems requires more knowledge on how various weed species respond to changing agronomic practices. A long-term study was conducted to determine weed population responses to various tillage intensities and crop rotations in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) dominated cropping system. Weed density and species composition differed with tillage, rotation, year, and date of sampling within years. Weed community dynamics were most affected by year-to-year differences in environmental conditions, followed by crop rotation, and then tillage intensity. Russian thistle (Salsola iberica Sennen & Pau) and kochia [Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.] densities increased in years of low rainfall and above average temperatures. Winter annual weeds such as downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) and flixweed [Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl], as well as the perennial weed dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber in Wiggers), increased in years where higher than average rainfall was re...

Yellow sweetclover, green manure, and its residues effectively suppress weeds during fallow

Abstract Improved fallow systems are needed to reduce the negative effects of increased soil erosion and reduced soil quality. Field experiments were conducted to determine weed suppression attained with yellow sweetclover grown as a green manure fallow replacement crop. Yellow sweetclover was undersown in field pea, flax, or Indian mustard and then killed in June of the following fallow year. Living yellow sweetclover competed strongly with weeds during the first fall and spring of fallow. Weed biomass accounted for <1 to 12% of the total plant biomass when yellow sweetclover was terminated in June. Yellow sweetclover residues remaining after termination of growth continued to provide excellent weed suppression. Weed densities in April before planting the succeeding wheat crop were 75 to 97% lower in yellow sweetclover than in untreated fallow treatments. Yellow sweetclover controlled the perennial weeds dandelion and perennial sowthistle, as well as the annuals kochia, flixweed, Russian thistle, and downy brome. Weed suppression was similar whether yellow sweetclover was harvested as hay or its residues were incorporated or left on the soil surface, suggesting that a portion of the weed suppression effect may be due to allelopathic compounds being released from decomposing yellow sweetclover. Results will be used to develop more sustainable agronomic practices in regions where fallow is still widely employed. Nomenclature:Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale Weber in Wiggers TAROF; downy brome, Bromus tectorum L. BROTE; field pea, Pisum sativum L. ‘Trapper’; field pennycress, Thlaspi arvense L. THLAR; flax, Linum usitatissimum L. ‘McGregor’; flixweed, Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb. ex Prantl DESSO; indian mustard = oriental mustard, Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. and Coss. ‘Lethbridge 221’ BRSJU; kochia, Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad. KCHSC; perennial sowthistle, Sonchus arvensis L. SONAR; Russian thistle, Salsola iberica Sennen and Pau SASKR; spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Katepwa’; yellow sweetclover, Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam ‘Norgold’ MEUOF.

Fertilizer application method affects nitrogen uptake in weeds and wheat

Abstract Managing fertilizer in cropping systems may be an important component of integrated weed management programs. A field study was conducted to determine the effect of various application methods of the 15N-enriched nitrogen (N) fertilizer on N uptake in green foxtail, wild mustard, and spring wheat and on crop–weed competition. N application methods consisted of ammonium nitrate in solution applied broadcast on the soil surface, applied in pools on the soil surface at 20-cm intervals between every second wheat row, and point injected 10 cm deep at intervals similar to those of the surface pools. An unfertilized control treatment was also included. N uptake by green foxtail throughout the growing season was often greater from surface broadcast than from surface pools or point-injected N and was sometimes greater from surface pools than from point-injected N. In contrast, N uptake by wild mustard was rarely affected by the fertilizer placement method. In the presence of weeds, the ranking of N uptake by wheat usually was point injected > surface pools > surface broadcast. Weed biomass was often greater with surface broadcast than with either surface pools or point-injected N. In the absence of weeds, wheat yields were similar across the three N application methods. However, in the presence of green foxtail, wheat yields were greater with point-injected N than with surface broadcast N in two of the 3 yr and with surface pools of N in one of the 3 yr. In the presence of wild mustard, wheat yields were greater with surface pools and point-injected N compared with the unfertilized control in two of the 3 yr, whereas yields with broadcast N were never greater than the unfertilized control. Study findings suggest that point-injected N results in suppressed weed growth, not by reduced N uptake by weeds but instead by greater N uptake by wheat that increases its competitiveness with weeds. Information gained in this study will be utilized to develop a more integrated program for weed management in spring wheat. Nomenclature: Green foxtail, Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. SETVI; wild mustard, Brassica kaber (DC.) L. C. Wheeler SINAR; spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Katepwa’.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate Effects on Weed Competitiveness is Species Dependent

Abstract Information on nitrogen fertilizer effects on crop–weed competitive interactions might aid in developing improved weed management programs. A controlled environment study was conducted to examine the effect of three N rates on the competitive ability of four weed species grown with wheat. The four weed species were chosen to represent species that varied in their growth responsiveness to nitrogen (N): Persian darnel (low), Russian thistle (low), redroot pigweed (high), and wild oat (high). Wheat and each weed species were grown in a replacement series design at N rates of 60, 120, and 240 mg N kg−1 soil. The competitive ability of the low N-responsive species, Persian darnel and Russian thistle, was not influenced by N rate, supporting our hypothesis that N rate would have little effect on the competitiveness of species responding minimally to N. Conversely, the competitiveness of the high N-responsive species redroot pigweed progressively improved as N rate increased. However, wild oat competitiveness was unaffected by N fertilizer rate. There is some evidence from this study to suggest that fertilizer management strategies that favor crops over weeds deserve greater attention when weed infestations consist of species known to be highly responsive to higher soil N levels. Information gained in this study will be used to advise farmers of the importance of strategic fertilizer management in terms of both weed management and crop yield. Nomenclature: Redroot pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus L. AMARE; wild oat, Avena fatua L. AVEFA; Persian darnel, Lolium persicum Boiss. & Hohen. ex Boiss. LOLPS; wild mustard, Sinapis arvensis L. SINAR; wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘AC Barrie’.

Ongoing Development of Integrated Weed Management Systems on the Canadian Prairies

Abstract Herbicides are very effective tools to control weeds but there has been an overreliance on their use at the expense of other useful methods of weed management. Farmers are interested in alternative methods of weed management but are concerned about the risk of adopting such practices with current small profit margins. Research on the Canadian Prairies has found that cropping systems that utilize zero tillage, diverse crop rotations, competitive cultivars, higher crop seed rates, specific fertilizer management, and cover crops can effectively manage weed populations, especially when used in conjunction with targeted but limited use of herbicides. Farmers are gaining confidence in the merits of such agronomic practices in terms of sustainable weed management and are gradually adopting these integrated cropping systems on their farms. Further research and extension efforts are required to ensure that these integrated weed management systems are biologically and economically robust to facilitate greater adoption at the farm level.

Weed species response to phosphorus fertilization

Abstract Information on weed responses to soil fertility levels is needed to aid development of fertilizer management strategies as components of integrated weed management programs. A controlled environment study was conducted to determine shoot and root growth response of 22 agricultural weeds to fertilizer phosphorus (P) applied at 5, 10, 20, 40, or 60 mg kg−1 soil. An unfertilized control was included. Wheat and canola were included as control species. Shoot and root growth of all weeds increased with added P, but the magnitude of the response varied greatly among species. Many weeds exhibited similar or greater responses in shoot and root biomass to increasing amounts of soil P compared with wheat or canola. With increasing amounts of P, 17 weed species increased shoot biomass more than wheat, and 19 weed species increased shoot biomass more than canola. However, only 10 weed species exhibited greater increases in root biomass than canola, and no weed species increased root biomass more than wheat with added P. Canola was among species taking up the greatest percentage of available P at all P doses. However, percentage P uptake by wheat relative to other species varied with P dose. Only four weed species extracted more P than wheat at low P levels, but 17 weed species extracted more P at high soil P levels. These findings have significant implications as to how soil fertility may influence crop–weed competition. Nomenclature: Canola, Brassica napus L. ‘Excel’; spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Katepwa’.