Time of emergence of Rumex crispus L. as affected by dispersal time, soil cover, and mechanical disturbance

Abstract

Emergence pattern of the perennial weed species Rumex crispus L. was studied under semi-field conditions. Seeds from three populations were harvested from the mother plants and sown in pots buried in an experimental field, either in late autumn or after winter storage at outdoor temperatures. Seeds were sown on the soil surface or covered by a 2-cm soil layer. In addition, some of the seeds sown in autumn were also subjected to mechanical disturbance in autumn or in spring. Population and soil cover both had a strong effect on total emergence. The light requirement of the species for germination was indicated by a higher rate of emergence from seeds sown on the soil surface than from covered seeds. Sowing date influenced the timing of emergence but not the total emergence. Autumn sowing led to earlier and more concentrated emergence, while seedlings from spring-sown seeds showed a more intermittent emergence pattern. Stirring after sowing had a positive effect on emergence compared with emergence from undisturbed, covered seeds. In all populations and treatments, emergence continued throughout the growing season, contradicting earlier findings that R. crispus seeds germinate mainly in early spring and autumn, and enter secondary dormancy during summer. The delay of emergence in seeds that had remained on the mother plant over winter indicates a certain level of dormancy, which was gradually broken in early summer.