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Environmental and physiological factors affecting the fate of seeds of yarrow ( Achillea millefolium L.) in arable land in New Zealand
Author(s) -
KANNANGARA H. W.,
FIELD ROGER J.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
weed research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-3180
pISSN - 0043-1737
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3180.1985.tb00622.x
Subject(s) - achillea millefolium , germination , weed , arable land , biology , agronomy , population , botany , horticulture , ecology , agriculture , demography , sociology
Summary Yarrow ( Achillea millefolium L.) has arisen as a problem weed in arable land in New Zealand. A spring‐sown yarrow population of 58 plants m −2 produced approximately 243000 seeds. These were capable of immediate germination in the autumn, but virtually no germination occurred in the winter and up to 80–100% at other times of the year. Seeds are positively photoblastic, but a considerable percentage of seed (>30%) may germinate in the dark after chilling, coat pricking, exposure to high nitrate concentrations or to alternating temperatures. Seed buried at 32 cm in undisturbed soil lost viability slowly over 4 years while seed in the top 8 cm lost viability almost completely within 2 years.