Parthenium weed is a noxious invasive species that has negative effects on agriculture and also causes allergic reactions in humans. The goal of this study was to evaluate several management strategies for parthenium weed and assess the suitability of each control measure for farmers, and other stakeholders in Uganda. Field experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design, and the quadrat sampling method used to assess the effect of mulching, foliar application of table salt solution, hand pulling, slashing, hand hoeing, foliar herbicide application, and integrated weed management on parthenium plant populations. All tested weed management strategies except foliar herbicide application significantly (P0.05) reduced parthenium plant populations, with parthenium weed counts for treated plots reducing on subsequent data collection days. The experimental data showed that parthenium plant populations increased for the untreated plot overtime. The authors recommend that a combination of multiple weed control measures (integrated weed management) are utilized for effective management of parthenium weed in Uganda to reduce limitations that result when one management strategy is used singly. This study informs farmers, the general public, and researchers how to effectively control parthenium weed, contributing to reduction of the numerous negative effects of parthenium weed on human livelihoods.
Crop canopy architecture is known to affect weed performance. Field experiments were conducted to examine the effect of altered crop canopy architecture and light interception on growth and development of wild proso millet and giant foxtail, two problematic weed species. Crop canopy architecture was manipulated by planting two sweet corn varieties contrasting in canopy architecture (Bonus-has a dense leaf canopy and Sprint-has an open leaf canopy) at two row spacings (51-cm and 76-cm rows). Results showed that sweet corn variety, rather than row spacing, altered crop canopy architecture, which in turn altered photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and red:far-red light ratio (R:FR) received by both weeds. The competitive Bonus canopy had a higher (P<0.05) PAR and R:FR than Sprint at anthesis and harvest. Bonus also more effectively suppressed weed growth and development than Sprint, and weeds growing on Bonus plots had reduced tiller numbers, reduced biomass, lower population densities, and reduced seed production (P<0.05). These responses were attributed to the Bonus canopy having a higher canopy area index, which intercepted more light resulting in lower PAR and R:FR received by both weeds. This study suggests that crop variety selection is an important consideration for weed suppression in row-cropping systems.
Light is an essential requirement for proper plant growth and development. Growth chamber experiments were conducted to determine whether artificial alteration of light quality (reducing the red to far-red ratio-R:FR) differentially affected the growth and development of giant foxtail and wild proso millet, two troublesome annual grass weeds in the United States. Growth phenotypes of both weeds were examined under two R:FR regimes (0.28-reduced R:FR and 1.12-unaltered R:FR) in the absence of competition (control conditions) and under intraspecific and interspecific competition. The reduced R:FR simulated shaded (below-canopy) R:FR conditions in the field while the unaltered R:FR treatment simulated direct sunlight (above-canopy) conditions. Averaged across weed species, reducing the R:FR increased plant height, but reduced tiller production and above-ground biomass under no plant competition (P<0.05). In the presence of competition, reducing the R:FR increased plant height and internode length but reduced the number of tillers and leaf area across weed species. No phenotypic differences were observed for weeds tested under intraspecific or interspecific competition. Our study has shown that the response of both weeds to artificial R:FR alteration is similar to that observed under shaded field conditions. Therefore, by replacing bordering plants with a crop, controlled experiments can be used to test the effect of crop canopies on weed suppression when selecting cultivars to be planted in areas where certain weed species are prevalent, minimizing weed-related yield losses.
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