Author
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Webster, Theodore |
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Submitted to: International Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 9/17/2006 Publication Date: 11/6/2006 Citation: Webster, T.M. 2006. Nutsedge ecology in plasticulture affects weed management [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions, November 6-9, 2006, Orlando, FL. p. 30.1-30.2. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Purple nutsedge and yellow nutsedge are naturalized exotic invasive weeds that are the most troublesome weeds of vegetable crops in the southeast US. Tubers are the primary means of nutsedge reproduction. Effective management strategies must suppress nutsedge tuber production. Greenhouse studies evaluated the influence of mulch type on shoot and tuber production. Field studies evaluated the influence of black mulch on nutsedge growth and patch expansion relative to no-mulch. In the greenhouse study, yellow nutsedge produced 9-times more shoots and 7-times more tubers than purple nutsedge in the absence of mulch. However, yellow nutsedge was less able to penetrate and thrive in the mulched systems. Black mulch reduced yellow nutsedge shoots 96% and tubers 50%. There was no affect of mulch on purple nutsedge growth. In the field study, purple nutsedge growth was promoted by black mulch; purple nutsedge shoot population density and patch area in the black mulch treatments were more than double than those in the non-mulched control. In contrast, yellow nutsedge growth was suppressed by black mulch; yellow nutsedge in black mulch had 3-times fewer shoots and 2-times less patch area than in the non-mulched control. The use of black mulch may alter environmental characteristics of the cropping system, potentially extending the growing season for purple nutsedge by moderating the cool late-autumn temperatures and warming the soil in late-winter earlier than in the non-mulched plots. |
