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Seed Viability and Dormancy of 17 Weed Species after 9.7 Years of Burial in Alaska

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Jeffery S. Conn  and
Richard E. Deck
Jeffery S. Conn
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Subarctic Agric. Res. Unit, University of Alaska, P.O. Box 757200, Fairbanks, AL 99775-7200
Richard E. Deck
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Subarctic Agric. Res. Unit, University of Alaska, P.O. Box 757200, Fairbanks, AL 99775-7200
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Abstract

A 50-year study at Fairbanks, AK, was started in 1984 to determine soil seed longevity of 17 weed species. Seed were buried in mesh bags 2 and 15 cm deep and were exhumed 0.7, 1.7, 2.7, 3.7, 4.7, 6.7, and 9.7 yr later. Viability was determined by germination and tetrazolium tests. All common hempnettle and quackgrass seed were dead after 2.7 and 3.7 yr, respectively. Less than 1% of wild oats and foxtail barley seed were viable after 3.7 yr, but > 6.7 yr were required for loss of all viability. By 9.7 yr, < 1% seed viability remained for: bluejoint reedgrass, corn spurry, pineappleweed, prostrate knotweed, and wild buckwheat From 2 to 5% of seed from common chickweed, common lambsquarters, flixweed, Pennsylvania smartweed, rough cinquefoil, marsh yellow-cress and shepherd's-purse were viable, while 62% of American dragonhead seed was still alive. Seed longevity in agricultural fields is not greater under subarctic conditions than under warmer conditions.

Keywords

American dragonhead, Drachocephalum parviflorum Nutt #3 DRAPAbluejoint reedgrass, Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) Nutt. # CLMCD, common chickweed, Stellaria media (L.) Cyrillo # STEMEcommon hempnettle, Galeopsis tetrahit L. # GAETEcommon lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. # CHEALcorn spurry, Spergula arvensis L. # SPRARflixweed, Descurania sophia (L.) Webb. ex Prantl # DESSOfoxtail barley, Hordeum jubatum L. # HORJUmarsh yellow-cress, Rorripa islandica (Oeder) Borbas # ROMSPennsylvania smartweed, Polygonum pensylvanicum L. # POLPYpineappleweed, Matricaria matricarioides (Less.) C. L. Porter # MATMTprostrate knotweed, Polygonum aviculare L. # POLAVquackgrass, Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski # AGRRErough cinquefoil, Potentilla norvegica L. # PTLNOshepherd's-purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. # CAPBPwild buckwheat, Polygonum convolvulus L. # POLCOwild oats, Arena fatua L. # AVEFASeed longevityburied seedweed seed decline
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 583 - 585
Copyright
Copyright © 1995 by the Weed Science Society of America 

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References

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