Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-22dnz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T08:45:23.230Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Corn and Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) Growth and Transpiration Efficiency under Varying Water Supply

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Logan G. Vaughn ,
Mark L. Bernards ,
Timothy J. Arkebauer  and
John L. Lindquist
Logan G. Vaughn
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915
Mark L. Bernards
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915
Timothy J. Arkebauer
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915
John L. Lindquist*
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: jlindquist1@unl.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The supply of soil resources is critical for the establishment and long-term competitive success of a plant species. Although there is considerable research on the effects of water supply on crop growth and productivity, there is little published research on the comparative response of crops and weeds to limiting soil water supply. The objective of this research was to determine the growth and transpiration efficiency of corn and velvetleaf at three levels of water supply. One corn or velvetleaf plant was grown in a large pot lined with plastic bags. When seedlings reached 10 cm, bags were sealed around the base of the plant, so the only water loss was from transpiration. Daily transpiration was measured by weighing the pots at the same time each day. The experiment was conducted in the fall of 2007 and in the spring of 2008. Four replicates of each species–water treatment were harvested periodically to determine biomass accumulation and leaf area. The relationship between cumulative aboveground biomass and water transpired was described using a linear function in which the slope defined the transpiration efficiency (TE). Corn TE was greater than velvetleaf TE in all treatments during both trials. In the fall trial, corn TE was 6.3 g kg–1, 47% greater than that of velvetleaf TE. In the spring trial, TEs of both species were lower overall, and corn TE increased with declining water supply. Corn produced more biomass and leaf area than velvetleaf did at all water-supply levels. Velvetleaf partitioned more biomass to roots compared with shoots during early growth than corn did. The ability of corn to generate more leaf area and its investment in a greater proportion of biomass into root growth at all levels of water supply may enable it to more-effectively avoid velvetleaf interference under all levels of soil-water supply.

Keywords

VelvetleafAbutilon theophrasti Medik. ABUTH; cornZea mays L. ZEAMXCrop–weed competitionsoil-water supplywater productivitywater use efficiency
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 64 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. 596 - 604
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by the Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Associate editor for this paper: Anita Dille, Kansas State University.

Current address: School of Agriculture, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455

References

Literature Cited

Addington, RN, Donovan, LA, Mitchell, RJ, Vose, JM, Pecot, SD, Jack, SB, Hacke, UG, Sperry, JS, Oren, R (2006) Adjustments in hydraulic architecture of Pinus palustris maintain similar stomatal conductance in xeric and mesic habitats Plant Cell Environ 29:535–545 Google Scholar
Bacon, MA (2004) Water use efficiency in plant biology. Pages 1–16 in Bacon, MA, ed. Water Use Efficiency in Plant Biology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Pp 1–26 Google Scholar
Bazzaz, FA, Garbult, K, Reekie, EG, Williams, WE (1989) Using growth analysis to interpret competition between a C3 and a C4 annual under ambient and elevated CO2 . Oecologia 79:223–235 Google Scholar
Beggi, F, Falalou, H, Buerkert, A, Vadez, V (2015) Tolerant pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] varieties to low soil P have higher transpiration efficiency and lower delay than sensitive ones. Plant Soil 389:89–108 Google Scholar
Bonifas, KD, Lindquist, JL (2009) Effects of nitrogen supply on the root morphology of corn and velvetleaf J Plant Nutr 32:1371–1382 Google Scholar
Bonifas, KD, Walters, DT, Cassman, KG, Lindquist, JL (2005) Nitrogen supply affects root:shoot ratio in corn and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti). Weed Sci 53:670–675 Google Scholar
Bunce, JA (2010) Leaf transpiration efficiency of some drought-resistant maize lines Crop Sci 50:1409–1413 Google Scholar
Cernusak, LA, Aranda, J, Marshall, JD, Winter, K (2007) Large variation in whole-plant water use efficiency among tropical tree species New Phytol 173:294–305 Google Scholar
Chauhan, BS, Abugho, SB (2013) Effects of water regime, nitrogen fertilization, and rice plant density on growth and reproduction of lowland weed Echinochloa crus-galli Crop Prot 54:142–147 Google Scholar
Condon, AG, Farquhar, GD, Richards, RA (1990) Genotypic variation in carbon isotope discrimination and transpiration efficiency in wheat: leaf gas exchange and whole plant studies Aust J Plant Physiol 17:9–22 Google Scholar
Eck, HV (1985) Effects of water deficits on yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of irrigated corn Agron J 78:1035–1040 Google Scholar
Flint, EP, Patterson, DT, Beyers, JL (1983) Interference and temperature effects on growth of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), spurred anoda (Anoda cristata), and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti). Weed Sci 31:892–898 Google Scholar
Hilbert, DW (1990) Optimization of plant root:shoot ratios and internal nitrogen concentrations Ann Bot 66:91–99 Google Scholar
Howell, TA, Tolk, AT, Schneider, AD, Evett, SR (1998). Evapotranspiration, yield, and water use efficiency of corn hybrids differing in maturity. Agron J 90:3–9 Google Scholar
Irmak, S, Burgert, MJ, Yang, HS, Cassman, KG, Walters, DT, Rathje, WR, Payero, JO, Grassini, P, Kuzila, MS, Brunkhorst, KJ, Eisenhower, DE, Kranz, WL, VanDeWalle, B, Rees, JM, Zoubek, GL, Shapiro, CA, Teichmeier, GJ (2012) Large-scale on-farm implementation of soil moisture-based irrigation management strategies for increasing maize water productivity Trans ASABE (Am Soc Agric Biol Eng) 55:881–894 Google Scholar
Lindquist, JL, Mortensen, DA (1999) Ecophysiological characteristics of four maize hybrids and Abutilon theophrasti Weed Res 39:271–285 Google Scholar
Lindquist, JL, Mortensen, DA, Clay, SA, Schmenk, R, Kells, JJ, Howatt, K, Westra, P (1996) Stability of corn (Zea mays)–velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) interference relationships Weed Sci 44:309–313 Google Scholar
Littel, RC, Stroup, WW, Freund, RJ (2002) SAS for Linear Models. 4th ed. Cary, NC: SAS Institute. Pp 229–247 Google Scholar
Lopez-Bucio, J, Cruz-Ramirez, A, Herrera-Estrella, L (2003) The role of nutrient availability in regulating root architecture Curr Opin Plant Biol 6:280–287 Google Scholar
Massinga, RA, Currie, RS, Horak, MJ, Boyer, J. (2001) Interference of Palmer amaranth in corn Weed Sci 49:202–208 Google Scholar
McConnaughay, KDM, Coleman, JS (1999) Biomass allocation in plants: ontogeny or optimality? a test along three resource gradients. Ecology 80:2594–2593Google Scholar
Monson, RK, Edwards, GE, Ku, MSB (1984) C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis in plants Bioscience 34:563–574 Google Scholar
Munger, PH, Chandler, JM, Cothren, JT, Hons, FM (1987) Soybean (Glycine max)–velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) interspecific competition Weed Sci 35:647–653 Google Scholar
Norwood, CA (2000) Water use and yield of limited-irrigated and dryland corn Soil Sci 64:365–370 Google Scholar
Otegui, ME, Andrade, FH, Suero, EE (1995) Growth, water use, and kernel abortion of maize subjected to drought stress at silking Field Crops Res 40:87–94 Google Scholar
Patterson, DT (1995) Effects of environmental stress on weed/crop interactions Weed Sci 43:483–490 Google Scholar
Rawsthorne, S (1992) C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis: linking physiology to gene expression Plant J 2:267–74Google Scholar
Rawson, HM, Begg, JE, Woodward, RG (1977) The effect of atmospheric humidity on photosynthesis, transpiration and water use efficiency of leaves of several plant species Planta 134:5–10 Google Scholar
Ruiz-Barradas, A, Nigam, S (2005) Warm-season rainfall variability over the US Great Plains in observations, NCEP and ERA 40 reanalyses, and NCAR and NASA atmospheric model simulations J Clim 18:1808–1829 Google Scholar
Salisbury, CD, Chandler, JM (1993) Interaction of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) plants is affected by their interaction for light Weed Sci 41:69–74 Google Scholar
Schmidt, JJ, Blankenship, EE, Lindquist, JL (2011) Corn and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) transpiration in response to drying soil Weed Sci 59:50–54 Google Scholar
Schulze, ED (1986) Whole-plant responses to drought Aust J Plant Physiol 13:127–141 Google Scholar
Sinclair, TR (2012) Is transpiration efficiency a viable plant trait in breeding for crop improvement? Funct Plant Biol 39:359–365 Google Scholar
Shanahan, JF, Nielsen, DC (1987) Influence of growth-retardants (anti-gibberellins) on corn vegetative growth, water-use, and grain-yield under different levels of water-stress Agron J 79:103–109 Google Scholar
Suyker, AE, Verma, SB (2009) Evapotranspiration of irrigated and rainfed maize–soybean cropping systems Agric For Meteorol 149:443–452 Google Scholar
Spencer, NR (1984) Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti, history and economic impact in the United States Econ Bot 38:407–416 Google Scholar
Vadez, V, Kholova, J, Medina, S, Kakkera, A, Anderberg, H (2014) Transpiration efficiency: new insights into an old story J Exp Bot 21:6141–6153 Google Scholar
Yang, Z, Sinclair, TR, Zhu, M, Messina, CD, Cooper, M, Hammer, GL (2012) Temperature effect on transpiration response of maize plants to vapour pressure deficit Environ Exp Bot 78:157–162 Google Scholar
Zhang, S, Sadras, V, Chen, X, Zhang, F (2014) Water use efficiency of dryland maize in the Loess Plateau of China in response to crop management Field Crops Res 163:55–63 Google Scholar