Severed stems of Amaranthus palmeri are capable of regrowth and seed production in Gossypium hirsutum. (22nd April 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sosnoskie, L.M.; Webster, T.M.; Grey, T.L.; Culpepper, A.S.
• Is Part Of: Annals of applied biology. Volume 165:Number 1(2014)
• Page Start: 147
• Page End: 154
• Publication Date: 2014-04-22
• Subjects: Crop science -- Periodicals; Plants, Protection of -- Periodicals; Crops -- Ecology -- Periodicals; 630
• DOI: 10.1111/aab.12129
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-4746

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="aab12129-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p id="aab12129-para-0001">Field studies were conducted to evaluate the capacity of <italic>Amaranthus palmeri</italic> to grow and reproduce following incomplete physical control in <italic>Gossypium hirsutum</italic> fields. <italic>A. palmeri</italic> plants that emerged simultaneously with a <italic>G. hirsutum</italic> crop were selected for use. Treatments included severing the main stem of flowering plants at heights of 0, 3 and 15 cm above the soil level. A non‐cut/intact control, in which the apical meristem was not removed, was also included. Six weeks after treatment, intact <italic>A. palmeri</italic> plants had grown to a mean height of 210 cm (SE = 38) and produced 477 408 (SE = 81 250) seeds per plant. Thirty‐five percent of the <italic>A. palmeri</italic> plants cut back to a height of 15 cm above the soil level did not recover from the treatment; survivors regrew to a mean height of 102 cm (51% reduction, compared to intact plants) and produced 116 000 seeds per plant (73% reduction). <italic>A. palmeri</italic> plants cut to 3 cm above the soil level had a mortality rate of 64%, an 82% reduction in final plant height, and produced 28 000 seeds per plant. When stems were severed at the soil surface, plant mortality was 95%; final plant height and seed production of survivors were reduced by 95 and 99%, respectively, relative to the control. <italic>G. hirsutum</italic> seeded yields exceeded 3 t ha<sup>−1</sup> when <italic>A. palmeri</italic> plants were cut back to at least 15 cm, whereas yield was reduced 50% in the control treatment, where <italic>A. palmeri</italic> growth was not interrupted by cutting. In conclusion, while there is immediate benefit of removing <italic>A. palmeri</italic> plants in terms of <italic>G. hirsutum</italic> yield, incomplete stem removal can have multi‐season implications. Results demonstrate that severely pruned <italic>A. palmeri</italic> plants can resume growth, reach reproductive maturity and produce viable seed, which have the potential to repopulate soil seedbanks.</p> </abstract>