Environmental Factors Effects on Winter Wheat Competition with Herbicide-Resistant or Susceptible Silky Bentgrass (Apera spica-venti L.) in Poland

Abstract

Environmental factors, including weather and soil conditions, can affect the competitive effects of weeds on crops. This work aimed at a comparison of the competitive abilities of winter wheat toward bentgrass (Apera spica-venti (L.) P. Beauv) with single herbicide resistance, multiple herbicide resistance, or a susceptible biotype in different environmental conditions of Poland. A replacement series competition model was applied in field conditions in 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 across the country. A competitive ratio (CR) was calculated for the relative biomass of plants and grain number. A canonical variate analysis (CVA) was performed for biological parameters and a day-difference in emergence between winter wheat and bentgrass with the hydrothermal coefficient and soil texture in all of the sites in each season separately. Winter wheat emergence was correlated with the amount of precipitation after seeding, and was fastest for five days in humid conditions, and slowest up to 22 days, when the precipitation in October was low. The CVA proved that winter wheat’s competitive effects toward the susceptible or herbicide-resistant biotypes of bentgrass are site-specific. During the dry season, the bentgrass biotype with multiple herbicide resistance was more competitive toward winter wheat than the susceptible one. The wheat CR < 1 with regard to biomass and both biomass and the grain number was in 64% and 50% of all the combinations with the resistant biotype. In conclusion, weather affects the competitive effects of winter wheat toward herbicide-susceptible or resistant bentgrass.