Consumption of weed seeds and waste grains by seed predators is an important ecosystem service that helps to regulate weed and volunteer crop populations in many agricultural systems. The prairie deer mouse is found in a variety of sparsely vegetated habitats throughout the central United States and is the dominant vertebrate seed predator in row-crop fields (corn and soybean) in this region. Evaluating the preferences of prairie deer mice for common agricultural weed seeds and waste grain is important to understand the potential ability of native mice to regulate volunteer crops and weed populations. We evaluated winter seed preference of deer mice using cafeteria-style feeding trials presented within row-crop fields in central Indiana and used compositional analysis to compare proportional consumption of seeds from five common agricultural weeds (common ragweed, common cocklebur, common lambsquarters, velvetleaf, and giant foxtail) and two grains (corn and soybean) during overnight feeding trials. Prairie deer mice significantly preferred corn to all other available seed types. Ragweed and soybean were also readily consumed and were preferred over seeds other than corn. Giant foxtail was intermediately preferred. Our results show that prairie deer mice have clear preferences for certain seeds commonly available in row-crop fields; mice likely contribute to reduction of waste grain and some weed seed populations.

Common lambsquarters, a summer annual weed, has occupied comparatively different ecogeographical regions around the globe. To investigate the extent to which germination and emergence traits have differentiated in two natural populations of common lambsquarters from different environments (Denmark as mesic and Iran as xeric population), experiments were conducted in the laboratory. Germination of both populations was stimulated by light. The greatest germination percentage of xeric and mesic populations occurred at 25/15 and 20/10 C, respectively. The xeric population showed significantly greater germinability at the lowest (15/5 C) and the highest (35/25 C) fluctuating temperature regimes. Germination of the xeric population was only slightly affected, and the mesic population was severely retarded at a salinity level of 20 desi siemens (DS) m−1. Greater than 42% of the xeric seeds germinated at 30 dS m−1 salinity, while the mesic germination almost ceased at this salinity level. Germination of seeds placed in distilled water after the 14-d salinity exposure treatments (recovery rates) was also greater for the xeric vs. mesic populations. Xeric populations showed more than 65% germination up to the osmotic potential of −0.4 MPa, while decreasing osmotic potential from 0 to −0.4 MPa caused an 80% reduction in mesic population germinability (9% germination). The greatest emergence of xeric (77%) and mesic (70%) populations occurred for seeds placed on the soil surface and no seedlings emerged from burial depth 3 cm. These study results suggest that common lambsquarters populations have differentiated for heat, salinity, and drought tolerance at germination stage. These contrasting germination patterns are appeared to be due to either adaptation via natural selection or maternal effects, or some combination of both. Though this study has certain limitations, it, through its findings and their propositions, adds to the existing knowledge about interpopulation differences in germination requirements of common lambsquarters, as a globally distributed species.

Field studies were conducted in 2006 and 2007 to evaluate strategies for management of four glyphosate-tolerant common lambsquarters populations in glyphosate-resistant soybeans. Treatments consisted of several different preplant herbicide combinations followed by one or two postemergence applications of 0.84 to 3.36 kg ae/ha of glyphosate. Preplant application of a combination of glyphosate, 2,4-D ester and residual herbicides resulted in the most effective control of all populations, and allowed use of a single postemergence glyphosate application at the lowest rate. Late-season control of common lambsquarters ranged from 66 to 95% where no preplant herbicides were applied, 72 to 97% for preplant application of glyphosate and 2,4-D, and 96 to 100% for the combination of glyphosate, 2,4-D, flumioxazin, and cloransulam-methyl. Individual plants survived and produced seed following single postemergence glyphosate applications of 3.36 kg ae/ha, and multiple glyphosate applications totaling 2.5 kg ae/ha. Multiple postemergence treatments were more effective than single postemergence treatments for reduction of common lambsquarters population density and seed production. The progeny of plants that survived high rates of glyphosate in the field were screened for their response to glyphosate in the greenhouse. Progeny from one of three populations exhibited increased glyphosate tolerance from 1 yr of selection pressure.

Crops transformed to provide resistance to herbicides with two different mechanisms of action provide new opportunities for control of herbicide-resistant weeds. However, unexpected interactions may develop, especially for herbicides not generally used in tank-mixtures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate weed control and determine herbicide interactions and fluorescence responses with combinations of glyphosate and glufosinate on selected weeds prevalent in Michigan cropping systems. Field studies to determine herbicide interactions resulted in synergism only at 0.84 kg ae ha−1 of glyphosate and 0.47 kg ai ha−1 glufosinate in 2008. Early synergism (7 d after treatment [DAT]) was observed in the field at several combined rates for common lambsquarters and velvetleaf in 2009, and in the greenhouse for giant foxtail. Differences between years were perhaps due to the effect of environmental conditions on herbicide absorption and translocation. Antagonism was observed in the field in 2009 for velvetleaf, common lambsquarters, and giant foxtail especially at 840 g ae ha−1 glyphosate and 118 g ai ha−1 glufosinate, 28 DAT. Antagonism was also observed in the greenhouse for giant foxtail and Canada thistle, 28 DAT. Fluorescence measurements on Canada thistle in the greenhouse showed that glufosinate and glufosinate plus glyphosate acted rapidly to quench electron transport of photosystem II (PS II) system of photosynthesis, and the fluorescence characteristics of the glyphosate and glufosinate combinations were indistinguishable from glufosinate alone.

A conservation tillage study provided the opportunity to test whether tillage effects on the germinable weed seedbank would be consistent across different crop rotations and to investigate the potential residual effects of herbicide treatments terminated 12 yr earlier. Our objective was to measure the effects of tillage (moldboard plow [MP] vs. chisel plow [CP] vs. no-till [NT]), crop rotation (2-yr barley–red clover followed by 4-yr barley–canola–wheat–soybean rotation, compared to a cereal monoculture), and of a prior weed management factor (three intensity levels of herbicide use) on the density, diversity, and community structure of weed seedbanks. Species richness, evenness (Shannon's E), and diversity (Shannon's H′) of spring seedbanks varied little across treatments and over time. Total seedbank density generally increased as tillage was reduced, with some variations due to weed management in 1993 and crop rotation in 2006. Crop rotations generally had smaller seedbanks with fewer species than the monoculture. In 1993, seedbanks with minimum weed management were twice as dense as those with intensive or moderate weed management (approximately 6,000 vs. 3,000 seed m−2). By 2006, seed density averaged 6,838 seed m−2 across intensive and moderate weed management regardless of tillage, but was nearly twice as large in NT (12,188 seed m−2) compared to MP (4,770 seed m−2) and CP (7,117 seed m−2) with minimum weed management (LSD0.005 = 4488). Species with abundant seedbanks responded differently to treatments. Barnyardgrass and green foxtail had larger seedbanks in the monoculture than in the rotation. Common lambsquarters and pigweed species had large seedbanks in tilled treatments in the rotation, whereas yellow foxtail and field pennycress contributed to the large seedbanks observed in NT treatments. The latter two species were also associated with residual effects of weed management treatments (terminated 12 yr earlier) in NT. The differential seedbank response of weed species, attributed in part to contrasting weed emergence patterns and agronomic practice effects on seed rain, explained some of the weak treatment effects observed for total seedbank density and diversity. The large weed seedbanks observed in NT plots after 18 yr confirms the importance of seed rain and seedbank management for the sustainability of NT systems.