Population density and soil seed bank of weed beet as influenced by crop sequence and soil tillage

Abstract

Dynamics of population density and soil seed bank of weed beet was studied in a 5 year crop rotation consisting of spring barley, and sugar beet. Beside the crop rotation experiment, the seeds of weed beet were studied for their dormancy and viability in soil seed bank over the period of four years. The obtained data indicates that weed beet was able to produce seeds only in sugar beet, but not in barley. In sugar beet, its reproductive potential allows weed beet to restore and increase the soil seed bank of glomerules rapidly. Common infestation of sugar beet is able to persist over more than the 2-year period between repeated introductions of sugar beet in crop rotation. The experiment has also proven the negative effect of weed beet presence on sugar beet yield. The sugar beet root yield decreased of 0.4 t/ha with every 1000 weed beet plants per hectare. The yearly loss of viable seeds was about 75%. The number of surviving seeds decreased exponentially in time. Less than 2% of seeds remained viable after three years in the soil. Seasonal fluctuations of seed dormancy were observed. Seeds were dormant in autumn, lost dormancy in winter and recovered it in late summer.