Weed seed germination and the light environment: implications for weed management

DIEGO BATLLA; ROBERTO LUIS BENECH-ARNOLD

WEED BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2014 p. 77 - 87

1444-6162

Light regulates dormancy termination and subsequent germination in many weed species. Under field conditions, the light environment of the seeds, which is perceived mainly by photoreceptors of the phytochrome family, provides essential information for cueing germination to the proper environmental situation. Light environment spectral composition and irradiance allow weed seeds to sense their position in the soil profile, the presence of a leaf canopy capturing light and other resources, the occurrence of soil cultivation, etc. From an agronomical point of view the control of germination by light represents a potentially utilizable step in the life cycle of weeds for developing effective control practices. The goal of this paper is to place current knowledge regarding photoreceptors, physiological and molecular bases of seed responses to light, and its ecological implications, within the context of weed management in agricultural systems. With that final objective, we intend to show how a better understanding of the way in which the light environment regulates dormancy termination and subsequent germination of weed seeds could be used to develop more accurate control practices and improve weed management strategies.