Weed Seed Dormancy: Implications for Weed Management Strategies.

BATLLA, DIEGO Y BENECH-ARNOLD, ROBERTO LUIS

Encyclopedia of Pest Management

Marcel Dekker

Lugar: Nueva York, USA; Año: 2004; p. 1 - 4

Dormancy is a common attribute of many weed species, and is probably the most important of a series of processes that determine the seasonal annual pattern of weed emergence commonly observed under field conditions.[1] A new general definition of dormancy was recently proposed: “Dormancy is an internal condition of the seed that impedes its germination under otherwise adequate hydric, thermal and gaseous conditions”.[2] This implies that, once dormancy has been removed, seed germination would proceed under a wide range of environmental conditions. Under field conditions, weed seed dormancy is regulated by a complex interaction of environmental factors (i.e. temperature, soil water status, light, etc). Most agronomic practices can affect these factors by altering the physical environment to which weed seed banks are exposed. Thus, knowledge about the ways in which environmental factors and agronomic practices affect the dormancy status of weed seeds could be used to develop and improve weed management strategies.