Influence of hairy vetch seed germination and maturation on weediness in subsequent crops

Abstract

Summary Hairy vetch is a widely adopted cover crop in the United States. However, hairy vetch can become weedy in subsequent crops as seeds germinate after the cover crop growing season, which is largely attributed to seed dormancy. We conducted two field experiments to determine seed germination, viability and seed production phenology of two common hairy vetch cultivars in Blacksburg and Blackstone, Virginia, US. ‘Groff’ and ‘Purple Bounty’ seed were sown in October 2015 and May 2016 and germination was tracked until June 2017. Subsequently, ungerminated seeds were tested for viability. Both cultivars had <2% germination after the initial germination period, and <1% of seed recovered was still viable at the end of the experiments. We also conducted experiments to determine when these cultivars produce viable seed. Hairy vetch seeds were counted and tested for germination in the spring. Both cultivars produced seed beginning in late‐May, but most seed were not viable until mid‐June in Virginia. Our results indicate that seed dormancy is not the primary cause of hairy vetch weediness in subsequent crops as nearly all germination, 99% of the total germinated seed, occurred during the cover crop growing season. Also, if complete termination occurs before mid‐June in Virginia, it is unlikely viable seed will be added to the seed bank. To better utilise this cover crop species, cultivar selection and proper termination are important to prevent weediness.

Analysis of Physicochemical Parameters of Congress Worts Prepared from Special Legume Seed Malts, Acquired with and without Use of Enzyme Preparations

“…The extract content of worts prepared from the legume seed malts in most samples was far lower than extract content in M or M2. In nearly all of the samples in which enzyme preparations were used, worts made from vetch malt were characterised with the lowest extract content, which might explain the presence of the hard-to-digest seed cover characteristic for vetch, as well as the higher content of non-nutritional factors than in other legumes [ 38 , 39 ]. Extract content in the worts prepared only from the 30% gelatinised legume seed malt reached similar levels as the control samples, prepared from Pilsen malt.…”

Spontaneous Gene Flow between Cultivated and Naturalized Vicia villosa Roth Populations Increases the Physical Dormancy Seed in a Semiarid Agroecosystem

“…Likewise, this management approach would not reduce the potential risk of weedy HV. Seed production and dispersal followed by a cereal crop or the incomplete termination of HV cover crop with plant regrowth and seed setting could result in the formation of seedbank and HV volunteer problems in successive crops [43,44].…”

Persistence and Changes in Morphological Traits of Herbaceous Seeds Due to Burial in Soil

“…The limitations of these studies for understanding the dynamics of seed persistence in soil lie in the fact that the age determination of the retrieved seeds is very rough and that the initial seed cohort size is unknown. Another common approach includes the creation of artificial seed banks by either sowing the seeds in soil followed by repeatedly taking soil cores and viability testing the retrieved seeds [23,24] or by burying seed bags followed by periodic exhumation and viability testing [2,14,20,25]. With these approaches, the deterioration of the seed population can be followed, parametrized and used for making predictions.…”