Environmental Regulation of Weed Seedbanks and Seedling Emergence

BENECH-ARNOLD, ROBERTO; BATLLA DIEGO

Persistence Strategies of Weeds

Wiley

Año: 2022; p. 100 - 125

The dynamics of weed seedbanks result from a complex interaction among seed attributes (i.e. morphology, physiology, and chemical composition), the surrounding biota (i.e. predators and microflora), and the environment. Either persistency or transiency will result from the outcome of this complex interaction, although a lack of dormancy would almost certainly preclude persistency. For that reason, a thorough understanding of (i) dormancy in seedbanks, (ii) the way in which changes in dormancy are driven by the environment, and (iii) the mechanisms for sensing their environment in the short term (i.e. light requirement for dormancy termination) is essential for predicting the behavior of weed populations and their dynamics. Even though, dormancy in seeds that lack defenses against predators or microflora attack, or with deficient repair mechanisms to ensure seed longevity, would be useless for persistence. Each of these features are discussed throughout this chapter in an attempt to understand the functional ecology of weed seedbanks as a strategy for weed persistence.