Title: Influence of Time of Cultivation on the Control of Field Bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis L.
Abstract: This study deals specifically with the relative value in terms of control of field bindweed by cultivation at the time the shoots emerge as compared with that made eight after shoot emergence. Cox (2) stated as early as 1909 that successful control of field bindweed was based upon the suppression of top growth in order that the underground parts be depleted of their food reserves. It does not seem to have been recognized at that early date, however, that the shoots may emerge and grow for several without returning food reserves to the roots. Some of the earlier control recommendations (1, 2) required cultivation every week or ten days and by such treatment the shoots were removed at, or shortly after, the time of emergence. Since this control program kept the ground free of green shoot growth, it was commonly designated as fallowing. Even though black fallowing involved a large number of cultivations, hence a considerable labor cost, it had its advocates. Timmons (4) stated that the interval which allowed 8 of top growth after each emergence appeared to be the most satisfactory when both effectiveness and economy of control were considered. This 8-day interval following emergence, added to the 6-day interval commonly required under average growing conditions to bring about emergence when cultivations are made to a depth of 4 inches, gives the 14-day interval of cultivation which has been recommended for bindweed control in Kansas (3). Not only is the number of cultivation operations reduced, but also there is a greater depletion of the food reserves of the plant. To look more specifically into the reasons for this decided advantage of allowing 8 of shoot growth before cultivation, an experiment was conducted at Manhattan during the 1940 and 1941 growing seasons. Shoots were selected as they emerged after cultivation to a depth of 4 inches and immediately covered with an earthen jar of one to two-gallon capacity to prevent photosynthesis. The same number of similar shoots were selected and marked at the same time but were left uncovered. Eight later they were harvested by cutting off the shoots at the ground and excavating the four inches of rhizome, the development of which had preceded emergence. Thus four inches of rhizome (underground part of the stem) and all of the leafy shoot (aboveground stem with its leaves) were obtained (fig. 1). The experiment was repeated six times during the growing season of 1940, beginning in early May and continuing until the first of November, and three times in 1941, beginning in mid-April and continuing through mid-July. The plants growing under the light-proof cover were prevented from manufacturing
Publication Year: 1941
Publication Date: 1941-04-03
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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