Information on weed spatial distribution could improve weed management decisions. Herbicide use could be reduced if applied only to field zones with an infestation level higher than a specific economic threshold. In this study, we surveyed 31 winter barley fields in different regions of Spain to describe the spatial distribution of sterile oat and to analyze the relationship between sterile oat infestation level and landscape and crop yield attributes. Elevation and slope angle, crop yield and slope aspect were the main factors in order of importance in explaining the distribution of sterile oat. In general, greater infestation levels were observed in flat lowland and concave landscapes, with a low crop yield, and on northern exposures (when slope ≥ 2%). We could define field zones with a higher risk (> 6 times probability) of having sterile oat problems. High-probability zones, defined by topographic attributes alone, occupied 24% of the total area and contained 46% of the high infestation levels, whereas zones defined by topographic and crop yield attributes constituted 14% of the total area and contained 31% of the infestation.

Resistance to herbicides in the most important weeds threatens the sustainability of California rice. Weed-competitive rice cultivars could be a low-cost and safe nonchemical addition to an integrated weed management program. Trade-offs between competitiveness and productivity and inconsistent trait expression under weedy and weed-free conditions could complicate the breeding of competitive rice cultivars. A 2-year competition experiment was conducted in the greenhouse involving eight rice cultivars and two weed competition regimes (presence or absence of late watergrass) to examine the effects of rice weed-suppressive ability and tolerance to weed competition (weed tolerance) on rice yield. Competition reduced average rice yield from 32 to 48%, and watergrass biomass from 44 to 77%. Path analysis suggested that enhancing rice weed-suppressive ability and weed tolerance while minimizing possible productivity trade-offs should promote early (12 d after seeding) growth and light-capture traits followed by moderate growth rates before heading and a vigorous grain filling period. Crop growth rate (CGR) after heading was a relevant determinant of yield (direct path: 0.82, P < 0.01) and correlated (r = 0.30, P < 0.01) with weed tolerance. Late biomass accumulation was negatively correlated with harvest index and CGR during ripening (r = −0.46, P < 0.01); thus, late-season competitiveness can lower productivity. Rice traits conferring competitiveness were correlated across weed competition regimes (r = 0.36–0.81, P < 0.01). However, significant cultivar-by-competition and cultivar-by-year interactions suggest that selection efficiency would be greater when traits are identified under competition and in different environments. This study relates to the phenotypic expression of traits for competitiveness. Breeding competitive cultivars will require additional knowledge on trait heritability, genetic correlations with competitiveness, and on the effects of the environment upon gene expression.

Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the effect of soil dust on glyphosate efficacy. Eastern black nightshade and hairy nightshade were affected similarly by glyphosate, regardless of whether plants were or were not treated with dust, but glyphosate phytotoxicity decreased when dust accumulated on plants. Silty clay dust at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 kg ha−1 on nightshade plants decreased the efficacy of glyphosate at 80 g ae ha−1 by 1, 5, 12, 21, and 32 percentage points, respectively. The adverse effect of dust on glyphosate efficacy occurred regardless of whether dust settled before or immediately after herbicide spraying and varied with dust type, which was silty clay ≥ silty clay loam > loamy sand. Glyphosate efficacy was slightly influenced by dust pH, with a trend toward increased efficacy as pH increased. Glyphosate applied at 280 L ha−1 spray volume controlled dust-treated plants better than when applied at 94 or 190 L ha−1. Three adjuvants (ammonium sulfate, nonionic surfactant, and organosilicone surfactant) only partially overcame the adverse effect of dust on glyphosate efficacy in eastern black and hairy nightshade control. Methylated seed oil or petroleum oil adjuvants did not improve glyphosate control of dust-treated or untreated plants.

Nematodes are the most damaging pathogens of cotton and one of the most important pathogens of peanut. Weeds can support nematode reproduction and reduce the effectiveness of crop rotation as a management tool. This study documents the relative host status of tropical spiderwort for (1) the reniform nematode and the southern and peanut root-knot nematodes and (2) the fungal pathogen southern stem rot. A reproductive factor (RF) was calculated for each nematode (final number divided by initial number). Galling was estimated (0–10 scale) for the root-knot species. The southern root-knot nematode reproduced well on tropical spiderwort, with a gall rating of 3.1 and an RF of 15.5. The peanut root-knot nematode also reproduced well on tropical spiderwort, with a gall rating of 2.1 and an RF of 7.2. Trials with the reniform nematode were analyzed independently. In the first trial with the reniform nematode, the RF was 2.4 on tropical spiderwort and 1.4 on cotton. In the second trial, the RF was 3.6 on tropical spiderwort and 13.5 on cotton. The severity of symptoms caused by southern stem rot was estimated on a scale of 0 to 10. In the first trial, peanut had a disease severity rating of 4.0 and tropical spiderwort had a rating of 1.4, and the fungus could be seen growing on 40% of the tropical spiderwort plants. In the second trial, peanut had a disease severity rating of 10.0 and tropical spiderwort had a rating of 5.0, but the fungus could be seen growing on all of the tropical spiderwort plants. It appears that tropical spiderwort is a sufficiently good host for some of the primary nematode and fungal pathogens of major crops in the southeastern United States that its presence at typical plant population densities will greatly reduce the pathogen-suppressive effects of crop rotation.

The release of Bt cotton varieties genetically modified for increased tolerance to major cotton insect pests provided impetus for the reestablishment of a cotton industry in northern Australia. However, this stimulated concern that the addition of the gene might facilitate an increase in the potential for weediness of genetically modified cultivars in noncropping habitats. Bt and conventional cottonseeds were planted in 12 sites in northern Australia to test the hypothesis that there would be no increase in the ability of Bt cotton vs. conventional cotton to establish weedy, or invasive populations, defined as population growth over time greater than one, irrespective of location, habitat, seed type, or population density. Invasiveness was a factor of germination, survival, and recruitment. We examined whether the addition of the Bt gene would increase fitness of these parameters, and associated invasiveness. An irrigation drain was considered a high-risk habitat for cotton establishment, so an additional site was sown at that habitat to provide supplementary data to the original 12 sites. Location and habitat were the dominant factors influencing germination, survival, fecundity, and invasiveness. Bt and non-Bt cottonseeds did not differ in their ability to germinate, establish, and survive. After 2 yr, cotton plant survival was very low, and only 3 of 13 sites established fecund cotton populations. Measurements continued for an additional 2 yr at these sites. There was no increase in values for invasiveness for the Bt genotype treatments at any location or habitat after 2 yr or at two selected habitats after > 4 yr, demonstrating that the addition of the Bt gene will not confer increased fitness for weediness. Mean invasiveness values for each habitat, irrespective of genotype, were less than one, indicating that neither conventional nor Bt cotton would establish invasive cotton populations in northern Australian habitats.