Cultural control of herbicide-resistant Lolium rigidum Gaud. populations in winter cereal in Northeastern Spain

Lolium rigidum Gaud. is one of the most common weed species in winter cereals in Northeastern Spain. Herbicide resistance has been growing since the mid 90's and exclusive herbicide use is not enough in many cases, so that it is necessary to combine as many control tools as possible. Six field trials have been conducted during the cropping seasons 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 on winter cereal infested with herbicide resistant L. rigidum in Northeastern Spain testing different cultural control strategies. Sowing delay was conducted at five fields, mouldboard ploughing at four fields, the combination of sowing delay and ploughing at two fields, increasing the cereal sowing density and combined with sowing delay at one field. Sowing delay was confirmed to have an irregular efficacy depending on the L. rigidum emergence during the delay period. In the trials, weed emergence was reduced up to 88% in the best case but there was no effect in two cases. Ploughing had a more constant efficacy and reduced weed emergence between 50 and 80% although stoniness impeded in one occasion a correct soil inversion causing a very low efficacy. Increasing the cereal sowing rate did not reduce the weed population. The combination of the different methods did not increase significantly the individual efficacy, and one method was clearly more effective than the other, depending on the trial. In fields with high L. rigidum density, these methods are not effective enough and need to be combined with other methods, which are discussed in the text.

Modelling leaf development in Oxalis latifolia

This study was carried to develop functions that could explain the growth of Oxalis latifolia, in both early stages and throughout the season, contributing to the improvement of its cultural control. Bulbs of the Cornwall form of O. latifolia were buried at 1 and 8 cm in March 1999 and 2000. Samples were destructive at fixed times, and at each time the corresponding BBCH scale codes as well as the absolute number of growing and adult leaves were noted. Using the absolute number of adult leaves (transformed to percentages), a Gaussian curve of three parameters that explains the growth during the season (R2=0.9355) was developed. The BBCH scale permitted the fit of two regression lines that were accurately adjusted for each burial depth (R2=0.9969 and R2=0.9930 respectively for 1 and 8 cm). The best moment for an early defoliation in Northern Spain could be calculated with these regression lines, and was found to be the second week of May. In addition, it was observed that a burial depth of 8 cm does not affect the growing pattern of the weed, but it affects the number of leaves they produce, which decreases to less than a half of those produced at 1 cm.

Produccion de frutos y semillas en Diplotaxis erucoides(L.) DC. sometida a diferentes tratamientos de polinizacion

En este trabajo se estudia el sistema reproductivo de Diplotaxis erucoides (L.) DC. (Brassicaceae), una especie arvense ampliamente distribuida en los cultivos y los márgenes de caminos de la región mediterránea. Mediante polinizaciones manuales con polen procedente de la propia flor (autogamia), de flores del mismo individuo (geitonogamia) y de flores de individuos de otras poblaciones (alogamia) se analiza el efecto de los diferentes tratamientos de polinización sobre la producción de frutos y semillas. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que Diplotaxis erucoides es una especie con capacidad para autopolinizarse. Hay diferencias significativas en la fertilidad y en el número de semillas por fruto entre los tratamientos que generan alogamia y los que originan autogamia. Dentro de los tratamientos con autogamia, la fertilidad disminuye progresivamente en el paso de geitonogamia a autogamia por autopolinización inducida y a autogamia por autopolinización espontánea.