Seedbank persistence of four summer grass weed species in the northeast cropping region of Australia

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 4;17(1):e0262288. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262288. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Summer grass weed species are a particular problem in the northeast cropping region of Australia because they are prolific seeders and favor no-till systems. Information on weed seed persistence levels can be used for the development of effective and sustainable integrated weed management programs. A field study was conducted over 42 months to evaluate the seedbank persistence of Chloris truncata, C. virgata, Dactyloctenium radulans, and Urochloa panicoides as affected by burial depth (0, 2, and 10 cm). Regardless of species, buried seeds persisted longer than surface seeds and there was no difference in seed persistence between 2 and 10 cm depths. Surface seeds of C. truncata depleted completely in 12 months and buried seeds in 24 months. Similarly, C. virgata seeds placed on the soil surface depleted in 12 months. Buried seeds of this species took 18 months to completely deplete, suggesting that C. truncata seeds persist longer than C. virgata seeds. Surface seeds of D. radulans took 36 months to completely deplete, whereas about 7% of buried seeds were still viable at 42 months. U. panicoides took 24 and 42 months to completely exhaust the surface and buried seeds, respectively. These results suggest that leaving seeds on the soil surface will result in a more rapid depletion of the seedbank. Information on seed persistence will help to manage these weeds using strategic tillage operations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Australia
  • Crops, Agricultural / growth & development*
  • Germination*
  • Plant Weeds / growth & development*
  • Salinity
  • Seasons
  • Seed Bank / statistics & numerical data*
  • Seeds / growth & development*
  • Soil / chemistry*
  • Temperature
  • Weed Control / methods*

Substances

  • Soil

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Australia, under project UA00156. However, the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.