Burial depth and temperature effects on the germination and viability of Giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.) seeds

Abstract

Ambrosia trifida is a problematic weed species in many annual crops, and its allergenic pollen can be harmful to human health. Understanding the latency and germination rates of this weed species is crucial for planning effective weed management strategies. The objective of this study was to investigate the interaction of burial depth (5, 10, 15, 25 and 40 cm) and temperature (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees C) on % germination, viability and latency in A. trifida using seeds from one population from Nebraska, North America, and two populations from Serbia, Europe. Nebraskan seeds were three times heavier than the Serbian seeds and had a higher seed viability and germination rate and lower germination latency. Despite this, burial depth and temperature affected the seeds from all populations in a similar way: the germination rate decreased and latency increased with increasing burial depth, while germination rate increased and latency decreased with increasing temperature. At shallow burial depths (5 cm), almost all seeds had very low levels of dormancy, while seeds buried deep (40 cm) did not germinate at any temperature treatment. We conclude that burial depth and temperature have opposite effects on A. trifida germinate rate and latency, but at very shallow or very deep soil depths, the seeds will germinate or will not germinate, respectively, regardless of the tested temperatures. The low dormancy at shallow soil depths means that A. trifida may be vulnerable to management strategies that focus on quickly emptying the seedbank without burying the seeds.

Keywords

dormancy; integrated weed management; minimal tillage; seed bank; seed decay; survival analysis; Weibull distribution

Published in

Weed Research
2025, volume: 65, number: 1, article number: e70004
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Bergkvist, Göran

  • Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.70004

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/140925