Political efforts are made in the European Union (EU) to reduce pesticide use and to increase the implementation of integrated pest management (IPM). Within the EU project ENDURE, research priorities on pesticide reduction are defined. Using maize, one of the most important crops in Europe, as a case study, we identified the most serious weeds, arthropod pests, and fungal diseases as well as classes and amounts of pesticides applied. Data for 11 European maize growing regions were collected from databases, publications and expert estimates. Silage maize dominates in northern Europe and grain production in central and southern Europe. Crop rotations range from continuous growing of maize over several years to well-planned rotation systems. Weeds, arthropod pests and fungal diseases cause economic losses in most regions, even though differences exist between northern countries and central and southern Europe. Several weed and arthropod species cause increasing problems, illustrating that the goal of reducing chemical pesticide applications is challenging. Pesticides could potentially be reduced by the choice of varieties including genetically modified hybrids, cultural control including crop rotation, biological control, optimized application techniques for chemicals, and the development of more specific treatments. However, restrictions in the availability of alternative pest control measures, farm organization, and the training and knowledge of farmers need to be overcome before the adoption of environmentally friendly pest control strategies can reduce chemical pesticides in an economically competitive way. The complex of several problems that need to be tackled simultaneously and the link between different control measures demonstrates the need for IPM approaches, where pest control is seen in the context of the cropping system and on a regional scale. Multicriteria J. Appl. Entomol.
We reviewed studies aimed at understanding functional relationships between weeds and arthropods in agroecosystems as influenced by biodiversity at different scales, with the main goal of highlighting gaps in knowledge, research methods and approaches. We first addressed: (i) the regulation of arthropod communities by weed diversity at genetic, species and habitat levels, (ii) the regulation of weed communities by arthropods through seed predation and dispersal and (iii) below-ground weed-insect interactions. We then focussed on methodologies to study weed-arthropod interactions in agricultural landscapes and discuss techniques potentially available for data analysis and the importance of joint weed-arthropod trend detection. Lastly, we discuss the implications of research findings for biodiversity conservation policies (agri-environmental schemes) and suggest some priorities for future work. Results showed that to date research has largely ignored weed-arthropod interactions in agricultural landscapes. No information is available on the role of weed genetic diversity as driver of weed-arthropod interactions, whereas studies on effects of species and habitat diversity often lack a functional perspective and/or a spatial component. Also, information on how management of the wider agricultural biotope might express positive weed-arthropod functional interactions is scarce. Another area worth being explored is the relationship between weed-leaf/root herbivores and beneficial arthropods. Tools for spatial data analysis might be useful for elucidating weed-arthropod interactions in agricultural landscapes, but some methodological aspects, e.g. the definition of the most appropriate experimental design and sampling scale/frequency, must be refined. New studies on weed-arthropod interactions should encompass an explicit spatial component; this knowledge is particularly important for improving IPM/IWM systems and designing more targeted agri-environmental schemes
Digitaria sanguinalis, Eleusine indica, Setaria glauca and S. viridis are troublesome summer annual weeds in turf. For taking rational decisions on the necessity for the level and type of weed management, it is important to know when weeds are ready to emerge (dormancy status) and also how long weed seeds can survive in the soil. Seeds of these four species were buried 4.0-4.5 cm deep in steel mesh net bags placed under permanent turf and periodically exhumed for 3 years to evaluate viability and determine the dormancy/non-dormancy cycle. D. sanguinalis, S. glauca and S. viridis showed the typical dormancy cycle of summer annual species, and their seed viability declined completely after 3 years of burial. In contrast, E. indica demonstrated unusual behaviour, with long persistence and no dormancy.
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