Abstract
The research was carried out in 2006–2008 in a static field experiment started in 1993 in the Research Field Station at Lipnik near Stargard Szczeciński, on Eutric Cambisol soil. In soil samples taken from following layers: 0–10, 10–20, 20–30 cm of soil under ploughing, ploughless or direct drilling tillage systems, species composition and number of weed diaspores were evaluated. In the samples, in total there were diaspores of 17 weed species. <em>Chenopodium album </em>was the dominant weed species in all soil layers and tillage systems. The number of diaspores was significantly dependent on tillage system and soil layer. Irrespective of soil depth, the highest total number of diaspores (12251 pcs × m<sup>-2</sup>) was in the treatment with the ploughing tillage system, while for the other treatments this number was significantly lower: by 14% for ploughless tillage and by 51% for the direct drilling treatment. Regardless of soil tillage system, the highest total number of diaspores (19936 pcs × m<sup>-2</sup>) was in the top layer, while in the next layers this number was significantly lower (by 62 and 87%, respectively). The largest number of weed diaspores was in the top layer of soil after long application of the ploughless tillage system.
Highlights
Weeds growing on arable land originate almost exclusively from seeds being an integral part of the soil seedbank (Bochenek, 1998)
A few weed species with a small number of diaspores were found in the soil after the particular soil tillage systems
Diaspores of Fumaria officinalis L., Myosotis arvensis (L.) Hill and Lycopsis arvensis L. were only found in the soil in the ploughed plots, whereas Bromus sterilis L. and Sinapis arvensis L. were only found after ploughless tillage and direct drilling
Summary
Weeds growing on arable land originate almost exclusively from seeds being an integral part of the soil seedbank (Bochenek , 1998). Modifications of ploughing tillage, such as reduced depth and frequency of ploughing, replacing tillage implements with some other ones, or even the elimination of soil tillage and replacing it with direct drilling, reduce soil cultivation costs, speed up seedbed preparation, protect soil environment, and increase productivity (Droese et al 1986; Dzienia , 1995; Włodek et al 1999). Such tillage reductions may cause changes in weed infestation of crops and in soil seedbank. The results of the research carried out by Bochenek , 2000; Cardina et al 1991; C o n n , 2006; Feldman et al 1992; Kordas and Zawieja , 2003; Krężel , 1991; Orzech et al 2006; Radecki and O p i c , 1995; Witkowski , 1998; Wojciechowski and Sowiński , 2005; Wrzesińska et al 2003 and 2004; Zawieja and Kordas , 2003, have not given an unambiguous answer so far how tillage reductions affect the soil seed bank.
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