The species composition and density of weed seed in the soil vary greatly and are closely linked to the cropping history of the land. Altering tillage practices changes weed seed depth in the soil, which plays a role in weed species shifts and affects efficacy of control practices. Crop rotation and weed control practices also affect the weed seedbank. Information on the influence of cropping practices on the weed seedbank should be a useful tool for integrated weed management. Decision aid models use information on the weed seedbank to estimate weed populations, crop yield loss, and recommend weed control tactics. Understanding the light requirements of weed seed may provide new approaches to weed management. Improving and applying our understanding of weed seedbank dynamics is essential to developing improved weed management systems. The principles of plant ecology must be integrated with the science of weed management to develop strategies that take advantage of basic plant responses in weed management systems for agronomic crops.

Weeds spread through movement of seeds and vegetative reproductive propagules. Pollen movement can spread weedy traits, such as herbicide resistance, between related weed and crop species. Weed seeds can spread short or long distances by natural plant dehiscence mechanisms, wind, water, animals, and man&s activities. This symposium paper is a practical review of short-distance spread of weed seeds in and between nearby arable fields and noncrop lands, examining some of the causes of spread and subsequent effects on crop production. Pollen movement, as it affects the spread of herbicide resistance, also is considered a component of short-distance weed spread. Specific weed management options can be used to reduce man-caused weed seed spread within and between nearby fields, thus reducing potential crop yield losses. Long-term management will be more difficult for weed seed spread by natural dispersal mechanisms.

WSSA members were surveyed in 1993–1994 to determine their perceptions of the contribution of weed biology to weed management. A questionnaire was included in the society newsletter, from which 152 responses were returned by mail or collected at the 1994 annual meeting. Over half the respondents felt that the overall contribution of weed biology to weed management had been moderate to high. Aspects of population dynamics and competition emerged as the areas that respondents felt should have the greatest impact on weed management in the future. The areas of computer modeling, interactions between weeds and other pests, and seedbank dynamics were predicted to show the greatest increases in importance in the future. The relative importance of taxonomy and weed identification was expected to decrease. Allelopathy, morphology and anatomy, and genetics and evolution were considered least likely to be important to weed management.

Knowledge of weed biology is essential for development of both economically and environmentally acceptable weed management systems. Weed biology relates to plant attributes such as morphology, seed dormancy and germination, physiology of growth, competitive ability, and reproductive biology. Concepts of population biology such as seedbank dynamics for annuals and root reserves, dormancy, and longevity of vegetative propagules for perennials can be used to predict weed infestations better and to evaluate sustainable management strategies. Integrated approaches that give priority to depletion of root reserves or seedbanks through interfering with dormancy or germination requirements have great potential to enhance weed management strategies in the future.

The story of agriculture is the story of weed interference. After millennia of weed control we still have weeds. This situation has led many growers to observe that “the weeds always win.” One of the most important reasons weeds are so successful is their biodiversity. Biodiversity is an inevitable consequence of the struggle an individual weed species undergoes in the presence of neighbors, and by occupying a physical space in an agroecosystem. Weeds have evolved in response to cropping system practices by adapting and occupying niches left available in agroecosystems. Forces created by our cropping practices over evolutionary time have led to the weed diversity we observe today. Diversity underlies weed management in several important ways. A plant experiences diversity among its neighbors in at least five different ways. Weeds have adapted to selection in agroecosystems in several ways: (1) genetic variants within a species; (2) somatic polymorphism of plant parts; (3) success in diverse habitat microsites; (4) temporal adaptations within the community; and (5) floristic diversity of a community at higher levels than the species. Herein, weed diversity is discussed in this broader context, in terms of population behaviors that emerge as a consequence of the activities of individual components at lower levels of organization. Diversity is also discussed in terms of its implications for weed management. The potential exists to develop management strategies based on differences in weed and crop diversity. These strategies might be developed by characterization of weedy genetic and phenotypic diversity; enhancement of crop, cropping system, and agroecosystem diversity; and characterization of the spatial distribution of weed populations.

Seed dispersal, interacting with environmental disturbance and management across heterogeneous landscapes, results in irregular weed spatial distributions. Describing, predicting, and managing weed populations requires an understanding of how weeds are distributed spatially and the consequences of this distribution for population processes. Semivariograms and kriged maps of weed populations in several fields have helped describe spatial structure, but few generalizations can be drawn except that populations are aggregated at one or more scales. Limited information is available on the effect of weed arrangement, pattern, or field location on weed population processes. Because weeds are neither regular nor uniform in distribution, mean density alone is of limited value in estimating yield loss or describing population dynamics over a whole field. Sampling strategies that account for spatial distribution can increase sampling efficiency. Further research should focus on understanding processes that cause changes in spatial distributions over time to help predict rates of invasion and potential extent of colonization.

A norflurazon-resistant mutant has been isolated from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that showed a three-fold factor of resistance over wild type cultures. In comparison to wild type cultures, the mutant showed better retention of chlorophylls and carotenoids when grown in light in the presence of norflurazon. When grown in the dark, chlorophyll losses were similar, while carotenoid losses were lower than in the wild type cultures. Higher levels of phytoene accumulated in the wild type cultures in the presence of norflurazon than in the resistant cultures. The resistant cultures also showed cross tolerance to EMD-IT 5914, a herbicide with a similar mode of action. Norflurazon resistance in this alga appears to arise from alterations in the target enzyme phytoene desaturase.

Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate foliar absorption, translocation, and efficacy of glufosinate on four weed species. The rate of glufosinate required to reduce shoot dry weight by 50% (GR50) varied between weed species. GR50 values for giant foxtail, barnyardgrass, velvetleaf, and common lambsquarters were 69, 186, 199, and 235 g ai ha−1, respectively. Absorption of 14C-glufosinate increased with time and reached a plateau 24 hours after treatment (HAT). Absorption of 14C-glufosinate was 67, 53, 42, and 16% for giant foxtail, barnyardgrass, velvetleaf, and common lambsquarters, respectively. Translocation of absorbed 14C-glufosinate from the treated leaf was greatest for giant foxtail and barnyardgrass (15 and 14% 24 HAT of absorbed 14C-glufosinate, respectively). This compared to 5 and < 1% for translocation of absorbed 14C-glufosinate from the treated leaves of velvetleaf and common lambsquarters. The majority of 14C-glufosinate translocated by giant foxtail and barnyardgrass was found below the treated leaf and in the roots, indicating phloem mobility of the herbicide. Differential absorption and translocation of 14C-glufosinate may be contributing factors to the differential sensitivity observed between weed species.

A series of greenhouse studies examined the effectiveness of PRE- and POST-applied sulfentrazone in controlling purple and yellow nutsedge as influenced by selective tissue exposure. In addition, 14C-sulfentrazone was utilized to contrast absorption and translocation resulting from these exposures. Consistent control with preemergence applications to germinating tubers was obtained with a combined root and shoot zone exposure. Yellow nutsedge was more susceptible than purple nutsedge. Performance of the separate root and shoot zone exposure was soil pH- and nutsedge-species dependent. POST-foliar applications to established nutsedge were more effective when sulfentrazone was allowed to contact the soil surface. 14C-sulfentrazone was readily absorbed by the roots and translocated to the foliage of both species in hydroponic culture.

Regression models of the effect of weed density on crop yield can form the basis of weed management programs by helping growers decide whether weed control is economically justified. However, few studies have examined whether one regression model can be used across a wide range of tillage systems and crop rotations. We used a nonlinear analysis of covariance to examine experiments conducted in 1990 and 1991 on the interaction of weed interference with conventional, fall chisel, and no-till systems, and rotations of corn, soybean, and wheat on a clay loam soil. Corn and soybean suffered heavy losses due to interference by green foxtail (a mixed population of robust purple and robust white varieties). Both tillage system and crop rotation altered the relationship between weed density and yield for corn in 1990 and 1991, but tillage was not a factor for soybean in 1991. Companion experiments on a sandy loam soil found no relationship between weed density and dryland corn yield in the drought year 1990, but weed density greatly decreased yield in irrigated corn. In 1991, the same model fit both dryland and irrigated corn grown in sandy loam soil. Foxtail density did not affect average weight per foxtail plant in any of our experiments, which indicates a lack of intraspecific competition. Competitiveness of corn better explained variation in dry weight per foxtail than did weather. Economic thresholds for foxtail interference are not constant but vary with weather, cropping system, and soil type.

Greenhouse studies suggested that dog mustard was less competitive than wheat, but of similar competitiveness to flax. In field studies, dog mustard growth and development were markedly affected by crop competition. Competition from flax and wheat reduced dog mustard leaf area, shoot dry weight, plant height, and seed production compared with the weed grown on summer-fallow. Dog mustard was a prolific seed producer when grown in the absence of interspecific competition. On summer-fallow, dog mustard produced as many as 79,100 seeds plant−1 when moisture was not a limiting factor. However, average seed production was 19,400 and 8000 seeds plant−1 in 1994 and 1995, respectively.

Tropical soda apple is an exotic perennial pasture weed currently reported in the U.S. only from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. In experiments to determine its environmental requirements and potential range, tropical soda apple was grown in growth chambers in 16 day/night temperature regimes ranging from 18/8 to 36/26 C. After 100 d of growth, maximum height, leaf area, and shoot biomass occurred at day/night temperatures ranging from 24/26 to 36/26 C. The plants achieved 50% or more of maximum leaf area, biomass, and height at 18/26, 24/20, 24/26, 30/26, and 36/26 C. Plants survived in 8 C nights with day temperatures of 18 to 36 C, but biomass and leaf area were only 3 to 10% of maximum. Leaf appearance rate was linearly related to mean temperature over the range of 11.3 to 29.3 C, with a slope coefficient of 0.018 leaves/day/degree C. Flowering was delayed by photoperiods shorter than 10 h or temperatures lower than 24/20 C. In favorable temperatures, plants flowered within 60 d after emergence in photoperiods ranging from 8 to 16 h. Artificially pollinated flowers produced fruit with germinable seeds within 6 to 7 wk, at temperatures ranging from 23/17 to 32/26 C. A regression equation relating vegetative growth to day and night temperatures indicated that tropical soda apple could achieve 30% or more of its maximum growth rate during 7 mo of the year in southern Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas and during 4 to 5 mo of the year at sites in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Neither temperature nor photoperiod will limit its further spread in the southern U.S. and adjacent regions.

Two field experiments were conducted to examine the competitive effect of common cocklebur and sicklepod in soybean. Factors examined included sap flow of both the weed and the crop, as well as the traditional parameters of weed and crop growth and crop yield. The intent was to determine to what extent competitive effects could be attributed to differential water utilization. In the first study, soybean planted at 20 plants m−1 row was infested with either sicklepod at 10 plants m−1 row or common cocklebur at two plants m−1 row. Sicklepod reduced soybean sap flow and yield 53 and 49%, respectively. Common cocklebur reduced soybean sap flow and yield 31 and 38%, respectively. Within a weed species, weed-induced yield and sap flow reductions were comparable, indicating that water deprivation was the primary detriment that these weeds inflicted on soybean. Individual common cocklebur plants were 3.9 times more competitive than sicklepod with respect to reducing soybean yield. However, sap flow of individual common cocklebur plants was only 1.4 times more than that of sicklepod, indicating that water deprivation was not the only causal factor in weed-crop competition. In the second experiment, sicklepod was planted in soybean (fixed density) and clipped to either half the height, same height as soybean, or left unclipped, in an attempt to simulate herbicide-induced stunting. Clipping sicklepod had a positive effect on soybean sap flow and yield. Thus, the benefits of reduced weed competition were achieved without killing sicklepod.

Perception of light by phytochrome is a mechanism that triggers weed seed germination in response to soil disturbance. Photoconversion of phytochrome from the red light absorbing form to the active far-red absorbing form depends on hydration of phytochrome. This research was conducted to determine the soil water threshold for the photoinduction of germination by the brief exposure of light that occurs during soil disturbance, and to determine how this threshold is affected by the fluence of the light stimulus and fluence sensitivity of the seed population. Redroot pigweed seedling emergence and germination response to red light (R) was studied for a range of water potentials. Water potential gradients were established by incubating seeds in soils wetted to various water contents, or in polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG) solutions. After imposing the light treatments, seeds were returned to a fully hydrated state. Seedling emergence in response to R increased as the volumetric water content (θv) of soils increased. At volumetric water contents of 4.0%, R-induced seedling emergence was inhibited 50% compared to photoinduced seedling emergence at the highest soil water contents tested. Attenuation of photoinduction was more pronounced at low vs. high R fluences in freshly imbibed seeds, but was unaffected in seeds that exhibited enhanced fluence sensitivity. In ecosystems where seasonal soil moisture extremes are prevalent, the photoinduction of seed germination may be limited in dry microsites such as surface crusts or under extreme drought conditions.

The phenology and biomass dynamics of Typha subulata were studied for 2 yr under two natural conditions, a marsh and an irrigation channel. Populations demonstrated a spring to summer growth pattern, with peak aboveground biomass in spring. The phenological phases identified for both populations were identical, but plants growing in the marsh averaged 38 and 28% less aboveground biomass and height, respectively, than plants growing in the channel. Noticeable differences were found in the timing of both phenological phases and biomass cycle between growth seasons, suggesting that the susceptibility of cattail to weed control during the seasons could vary between years.

Controlled environment experiments were completed to determine the effect of temperature on giant foxtail and fall panicum germination, emergence, and growth. Giant foxtail seed germination decreased when exposed to a constant 30 C compared to 20 C. Germination also decreased in the alternating 20/30 C temperature regime when the hours of exposure to 30 C as compared to 20 C increased. Fall panicum required alternating temperatures of 14 C (9 h)/28 C (15 h) to germinate. Giant foxtail seed germination exceeded 60% 4 d after exposure to an alternating temperature of 7 C (9.4 h)/20 C (14.6 h). Conversely, fall panicum seed did not germinate at the 7 C (9.4 h)/20 C (14.6 h) temperature regime and required a minimum of 7 d exposure to alternating temperatures of 13 C (8.7 h)/26 C (15.3 h) for 88% of the seed to germinate. The greatest emergence of giant foxtail and fall panicum was from 1 cm and 1 to 2.5 cm, respectively. Less than 5% of the giant foxtail and fall panicum seed emerged from 7.5 cm. The growth of giant foxtail seedlings was five times greater than that of fall panicum at each temperature regime tested. Incorporation of this information into bioeconomic models could result in accurate predictions of weed germination for effective weed management strategies.

This research examined the effect of duration of the warm cycle and number of fluctuating temperature/light cycles on goosegrass seed germination. Less than 10% goosegrass seed germination occurred at constant temperatures of 20, 25, and 35 C, while 99% germinated at daily fluctuating temperature regimes of 20 C for 16 h and 35 C for 8 h with light. Increasing the number of fluctuating temperature cycles increased goosegrass seed germination. Fluctuating temperature cycles with 22 h at 20 C and 2 h at 35 C with light strongly stimulated germination, but not as much as the cycle with 8 h at 35 C. Goosegrass seed germination ceased once the fluctuating temperature regime was discontinued, and constant 20 C with 8 h light daily was reimposed. Germination occurred only on resumption of fluctuating temperature cycles. Seed incubated for several weeks in a moist environment at constant 20 C had 81 to 91% germination with two cycles of 20 C for 16 h and 35 C for 8 h, compared to 14% for fresh seeds.

The response of peanut to low rates of MSMA under weed-free conditions was studied in 1992 and 1994 near Tifton, GA. MSMA was applied 40, 70, 100, or 130 days after emergence (DAE). At each application timing, MSMA was applied at 0, 90, 168, and 336 g ai ha−1. MSMA application timing did not affect peanut yield. Increasing rates of MSMA caused minor reduction in peanut yield. Analysis using atomic absorption spectroscopy showed elemental arsenic accumulation of ≤ 0.7 ppm in peanut kernels from MSMA applied 70 and 100 DAE. This approximates the time interval of peanut pod and kernel formation. MSMA applied 40 and 130 DAE resulted in little detectable arsenic in kernels. Low rates of MSMA, originating as drift from aerial applications to cotton or illegal and unsound applications to peanut for Florida beggarweed control, are not likely to reduce peanut yields. The greatest hazard from peanut exposure to MSMA is accumulation of arsenic in kernels, which would adversely affect peanut marketability and consumer demand.