STUDIES ON WEED BIOLOGY OF CELOSIA ARGENTEA L., WEED EMERGENCE PATTERN AND WEED SEED BANK DYNAMICS IN DIFFERENT CROP ECOSYSTEMS
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Date
2008-08-08
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University of Agricultural Sciences GKVK, Banglore
Abstract
Experiments were conducted at the College of Agriculture, Navile, Shivamogga,
during Kharif2007 on red sandy loam soil in order to study the weed biology of Celosia
argentea L., weed emergence pattern and weed seed bank dynamics in different crop
ecosystems. In the first experiment biology of Celosia argentea L. was studied by sowing
seeds of Celosia in hundred pots, growth observations were recorded upto maturity of
Celosia. The results from pot culture experiment reveal that highest rate of growth
increase in Celosia was recorded between 30-50 DAS and it has the potential of
producing 200 to 1672 seeds plant"'. In field experiment eight different crop ecosystems
were taken as treatments replicated thrice in randomized complete block design. The
treatments comprised of maize, bajra, groundnut, horsegram, fieldbean, mustard, cowpea
and natural (fallow) crop ecosystems. There was a significant variation in number of
weeds, dry matter accumulation and diversity of weeds in different crop ecosystems.
Mustard and horsegram crop ecosystems recorded significantly lower weed numbers
(13.7 and 20.3 weeds 0.25m-2), dry matter accumulation of weeds (10.53 and 12.64
g 0.25 m-2) and weed diversity index (1.34 and 1.90) as compare to rest of the
ecosystems. Whereas natural ecosystem (fallow) recorded significantly higher number of
weeds (44.0 weeds 0.25m-2), weeds dry weight (35.40 g 0.25 m-^) and weed
diversity index (2.48) as compared to other crop ecosystems. In third experiment vertical
distribution of viable weed seeds was studied with special reference to Celosia at 0-5, 5-
10 and 10-15 cm depths of soil. There was a significant difference in vertical distribution
of viable weed seeds in different crop ecosystems. Significantly lower viable weed
(1212.42 seeds m-2) and Celosia seeds (246.67 seeds m-2) were recorded in mustard
crop ecosystem as compared to rest of the treatments.
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