Cyperus esculentus - differences in growth and tuber production between cultivated and wild forms

Abstract

Cyperus esculentus (yellow nutsedge) belongs to the world most important weeds on arable land. This species is classified as an invasive one in Central and North-western Europe. It is not yet present as a weed in the Czech Republic, but its occurrence in neighbouring countries and its ability to survive winters in this region must be taken into account. A cultivated form of C. esculentus, known as Chufa or Tiger nuts, is occasionally grown in home gardens as a crop for its edible tubers. In pot experiments we tested the growth of both forms, weedy and cultivated one. Weight of both fresh and dry biomass of plant parts (leaves, roots, rhizomes, tubers, inflorescences) was measured in monthly intervals from May till September 2012. Results show that there were no significant differences in leaf and root biomass. The weight of rhizomes was approximately 50-80 times higher in the wild form. Number of tubers was also higher in the wild form (max. 1118 pcs; crop max. 342 pcs in single pot), but the total weight of tubers was not significantly different. The cultivated form did not produce inflorescences at all, the wild form produced in average 13 inflorescences per plot. Based on our results we can state that growing of the cultivated form does not pose any risk – plants do not show intensive vegetative spread and do not produce inflorescences so crossing with the weedy form is not possible. The wild form can produce high amounts of rhizomes and tubers and is able to produce flowers under our conditions. That makes it a potentially dangerous weed in warmer regions of the Czech Republic.

Keywords

• biomass production
• crop
• CYPES
• invasive weed
• yellow nutsedge