Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2011, 59(1), 277-290 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun201159010277

Comparison of the seed bank with the aboveground vegetation of field weeds in the neighbourhood of Mikulov in South Moravia

Magda Zdražílková

Ústav biologie rostlin, Mendelova univerzita v Brně, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Česká republika

The processed set of phytosociological relevés indicated that at the present time the field weed associations are composed particularly of species of wide ecological amplitude. The rare and endangered species appeared only on localities usually not much affected by chemicals. Most of the endangered species of field weeds were found to survive primarily on small private farms, in the headland of fields or on field edges near the natural reserves.
The results indicated that the type of crop had a significant effect on the composition of the current aboveground vegetation. There is a close relationship between the type of crop and the applied cultural practice. Its effect is much more important than the effect of the overall method of management. However, long-term application of herbicides may eliminate some weed species from the seed bank and as a consequence also from the current vegetation. That is the reason why crop rotation is so important for preserving the species diversity of weeds in tandem with limited applications of herbicides.

Keywords: soil seed bank, aboveground vegetation, weeds

Received: May 5, 2010; Published: July 10, 2014  Show citation