Abstract
The knowledge of the soil seedbank is crucial to predict the dynamics of weed communities and potential future problems in agroecosystem weed management. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative variation of the potential and real weed flora as a function of different cultivation systems (namely organic, conventional and uncultivated) in a Mediterranean environment (Sicily, south Italy). The results proved that soil seedbank density was significantly different in superficial (0–10 cm) and deeper soil layers (10–15 cm) in both organic and conventional cultivation systems. Portulacaceae and Amaranthaceae were the dominant botanical families, although they achieved a higher total number of seeds m−2 under a conventional cultivation system than under organic and uncultivated ones. The whole weed flora was represented by 45 taxa, but the presence of the crop reduced the qualitative and quantitative composition of real weed flora. In conclusion, the knowledge of the seedbank size and composition, as well as the variation in time and space of real flora, may contribute to predict the dynamics of weed emergence and their possible interference with crops. In particular, information on the weed dynamics is essential to develop sustainable control protocols, especially under organic farming.
Highlights
Despite the significant advances in weed management technologies reached in the latest years, weed flora remains one of the most detrimental factors affecting crops’ performance, as they are able to cause significant yield and quality losses [1]
No significant differences in terms of weed seedbank composition at different soil layer depths were found among the evaluated cultivation systems
The data about weed seedbank showed that one species (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was unique to the Organic cultivation system (OCS), one (Veronica polita Fr.) was exclusively found in uncultivated plots (UCP) and the others were present in all the cultivation systems (Table 1)
Summary
Despite the significant advances in weed management technologies reached in the latest years, weed flora remains one of the most detrimental factors affecting crops’ performance, as they are able to cause significant yield and quality losses [1]. As already reported in literature, cultivation systems may influence weed flora dynamics [3], and there is a growing interest by growers in the limitation of chemical weed control These eco-friendly cultivation systems rely more on cultural (crop rotation diversification and cover cropping) and mechanical weed control strategies [2]. The choice and sequence of crops may significantly affect weed community dynamics, because of their different biological cycle, end use, competition against weeds and crop management practices [1]. This should prevent the proliferation and dominance
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