Weeds Flashcards
What is meant by a weed?
A plant growing out of place.
A plant growing in a particular situation where it is not wanted and where potentially it will be competing with cultivated plants.
Any plant not intentionally sown or propagated by the grower that requires management to prevent it from interfering with crop or livestock production.
How do weeds cause problems?
Reduction of plant growth.
Competition for light, water and nutrients.
Reduction of the visual appeal of plantings.
Alternate hosts for plant pathogens. eg white blister rust of brassicas and club root.
Characteristics of weeds? (10)
- Vigorous growers.
- Copious seed production.
- Seed dispersal mechanisms so they spread away from the original plant.
- Rapid population establishment.
- Seed dormancy.
- Long term survival of buried seed.
- Germinate at low temperatures in early spring.
- Adapted to spread.
- Possess vegetative reproductive structures.
- Able to survive disturbance of human activities.
What is the most costly category of agricultural pest?
Weeds. Worldwide weeds cause more yield loss and add more to farmers production costs than insect pests, crop pathogens, root feeding nematodes or mammal and bird pests.
How do weeds outgrow cultivated plants?
Vigorous growth.
Ephemeral life cycle means many generations in one growing season.
Spread easily by seed or by rhizomes.
Hard to remove - persistent tap root and rhizomes which snap easily.
What health problems can occur to plants because of weeds?
May harbour pests - eg provide shelter for slugs.
May be an alternate host to disease - eg. blister rust and clubroot on brassicas.
Compete with cultivated plants for light, water and nutrients.
Physically hindering crop growth and development especially climbing vines like hedge bindweed. Calystegia sepium.
Promoting disease by restricting air circulation around the crop.
What is the botanical name for Shepherds purse?
Capsella bursa-pastoris
What horticultural problems do weeds cause?
Interfere with machinery.
Contaminate crops - eg. weed seed contaminating a seed crop.
Damage visual appearance/reduce visual appeal of planted areas.
Decreases yield through competition.
What is the botanical name for hairy bittercress?
Cardamine hirsuta
What is the main issue with Cardamine hirsuta? (hairy bittercress)
Affects surface of containers or bare soil.
Is ephemeral with short life cycle. Seedlings may appear at most times of the year, although mainly summer/autumn.
Frost hardy can survive winter.
Has explosive seed capsules - seeds can be dispersed up to 1metre away or considerably further if carried by the wind.
Ensure remove before set seed by hoeing/cultivation preferably when soils are dry.
Not usually worth using glyphosate as flowers so quickly, whereas chemicals take 2 weeks to work.
What is the botanical name for Shepherd’s purse?
Capsella bursa-pastoris
What are the main issues with Capsella bursa-pastoris?
Capsella bursa- pastoris is known by its common name Shepherd’s purse because of it’s triangular, purse like pods.
It flowers almost all year round and reproduces entirely from seed.
It persists long term in the soil - seeds can remain viable for tens of years!
Capable of producing several generations each year.
Host for club root and white blister rust and mealy cabbage aphid.
Control - hand remove, mulch, hoe, but avoid disturbing the soil too deep to bring more seeds to the surface. Stale seedbed method.
Not worth using chemicals as they flower quicker than the chemical will take to work.
What is the common name for Senecio vulgaris?
Groundsel
Name 3 ephemeral weeds?
Senecio vulgaris (groundsel) Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd's purse) Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy bittercress)
Define what an annual weed is?
A weed which germinates, grows, flowers and sets seeds once in a single growing season.
What is the botanical name for Large field speedwell?
Veronica persica
Describe Veronica persica. (Large field speedwell)
Has weak stems that form a dense prostrate groundcover. Can crowd out young crops.
Small blue flowers.
How to control Veronica persica?
Affects veg plots and borders.
Hoe/remove by hand fork whenever seen.
Bury deeply when digging or mulching.
Chemical control with acetic acid.