Abstract
Weeds from Brassicaceae family are a major threat in many crops including canola, chickpea, cotton and wheat. Rapistrum rugosum (L) All. and Brassica tournefortii Gouan. are two troublesome weeds in the northern region of Australia. In order to examine their phenology of these weeds, a pot study was conducted in 2018 at the Research Farm of the University of Queensland, Gatton campus with two populations sourced from high (Gatton) and medium (St George) rainfall areas of the northern grain region of Australia. Planting was carried out monthly from April to September, and the growth, flowering and seed production were evaluated. Maximum growth and seed production were observed in weeds planted in April, compared to other planting dates. Biomass of R. rugosum and B. tournefortii was reduced by 85% and 78%, respectively, as a result of the delay in planting from April to July. R. rugosum and B. tournefortii produced more than 13,000 and 3500 seeds plant−1, respectively, when planted in April and seed production was reduced by > 84% and > 76% when planted in July. No significant differences were observed between populations of both weeds for plant height, number of leaves and biomass, however, the medium rainfall population of R. rugosum produced more seeds than the high rainfall population when planted in April. The results of this study suggest that, although R. rugosum and B. tournefortii were able to emerge in a wider time frame, the growth and seed production were greatest when both weeds were planted in April and there was concomitant reduction in growth attributes when planted in the subsequent months, indicating that management of these weeds early in the cropping season is a prerequisite to population reduction and the mitigation of crop yield losses.
Highlights
Weeds from the Brassicaceae family are a threat to many crops including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)[1,2,3,4,5]
R. rugosum and B. tournefortii, respectively, are ranked 5th and 6th in terms of infestation of crop regions of Australia, and resulted in AU$ 10.6 and 4.9 m revenue loss per annum, respectively[8]. Both these weeds possess many biological attributes which include their ability to emerge and grow in a wide range of salinity, moisture and temperature c onditions[5,9,10]. These weeds can produce a substantial number of seeds: a single plant of R. rugosum and B. tournefortii could produce > 77,000 and 9000 seeds plant−1, 1Department of Agrotechnology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177948974, Iran. 2The Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia. 3Amrita School of Agricultural Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore 641112, India. 4Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA. 5School of Agriculture and Food Sciences (SAFS), The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia. *email: mo.ahmadreza@gmail.com
Periodic seed germination due to profuse seed production and seed dormancy, as well as the innate ability of these weeds to germinate in a broad range of environmental conditions all contribute to the invasive success of these plants
Summary
Weeds from the Brassicaceae family are a threat to many crops including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)[1,2,3,4,5]. R. rugosum and B. tournefortii, respectively, are ranked 5th and 6th in terms of infestation of crop regions of Australia, and resulted in AU$ 10.6 and 4.9 m revenue loss per annum, respectively[8] Both these weeds possess many biological attributes which include their ability to emerge and grow in a wide range of salinity, moisture and temperature c onditions[5,9,10]. These weeds can produce a substantial number of seeds: a single plant of R. rugosum and B. tournefortii could produce > 77,000 and 9000 seeds plant−1, Scientific Reports | (2020) 10:15979. Study on the emergence time of weeds is important to evaluate population potentials and may provide primary input for decision support systems (DSSs) and the implementation of efficient and viable management s trategies[28,29]
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