Biodiversity of Weeds in Fields of Grain in South-Eastern Poland

Abstract

Analysis of weed infestation of selected fields of grain (winter wheat, spring wheat, spring triticale) was conducted between 2013 and 2016 in five commercial farms in south-eastern Poland (49°52’ N, 21°46’ E) based on a quantitative and qualitative (quadrat) method and an agro-phytosociological method. The quadrat analysis was conducted prior to weeding procedures, and the agro-phytosociological analysis by grain harvest. The biodiversity of weed communities was measured with the Shannon and Simpson indices. The degree of weed infestation of grain species was significantly differentiated by weeding procedures carried out by farmers. The highest share of weeds in grain crops included dicot weeds (80.6–86.4% of all species, depending on location), and the remaining weed groups were a much smaller issue. The greatest weed infestation was found in spring triticale, and the smallest in winter wheat. The highest Shannon biodiversity index was recorded in the field of triticale, and the lowest in the field of winter wheat. The Simpson index points to the greatest biodiversity in fields of triticale and the smallest in fields of spring wheat. The conducted research will help categorize segetal flora characteristics for a given crop, determine its quantity and species composition, and evaluate biodiversity of weeds in fields of grain.

Keywords

• segetal flora
• weed quantity
• weed mass
• grain species