Concern about NO$ sb3 sp-$-N leaching and groundwater pollution from monoculture corn (Zea mays L.) has prompted investigation of alternative production systems which reduce N leaching. Both intercrop systems and water table controls alone have been shown to increase nitrogen (N) uptake and reduce soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N accumulation in cropping systems. There is a need to maintain crop productivity while reducing the potential for soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N leaching into groundwater. However, there has been no information available regarding agronomic and physiological aspects of N and water management for monocrop corn and corn competing with annual Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) in an intercrop system. A study was conducted in southwestern Quebec during 1993 and 1994. Nitrogen and dry matter components in the plant-soil system were determined. Intercropped corn grain yield did not differ from monocropped corn under high N fertility. At harvest, the corn-annual ryegrass intercrop system increased total aboveground N uptake by 77.2 and 50.7 kg ha$ sp{-1}$ when compared with the corn monocrop system in 1993 and 1994, respectively. The intercrop system reduced the amount of NO$ sb3 sp-$-N in the top 1 m of soil by 47% (92.3 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$) at harvest in 1993. Water table controls had little effect on corn yield, N use efficiency and soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N accumulation over the two years of this study. Both plant establishment and weather conditions affected the ability of annual ryegrass to aid in the uptake of soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N. The reproductive development of water stressed plants after silking was limited more by overall plant changes due to water stress than assimilate supply. The delivery of C (sucrose) and N ($ sp{15}$N urea) into corn plants via stem-injection showed that externally supplied C changed both the source strength (photosynthetic inhibition) and sink strength (decreased total grain production), while distribution of $ sp{15}$N was affected by p

The work reported in this thesis was designed to develop a better understanding of the fate of fertiliser nitrogen applied to a tropical pasture under field conditions, with the eventual objective of improving the economy of livestock production off such pastures. This involved an examination of the concentrations of soil total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen at different depths within the soil profile following the application of different levels of fertiliser nitrogen to a grazed kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) pasture, as well as the influence of such applications on pasture yield and some elements of pasture quality. The trial was conducted over a two year period at Broadacres in the Natal Mistbelt. A labelled [15]NH[4]N0[3] fertiliser experiment was also conducted to ascertain how the labelled ammonium ion moved through the soil, roots and herbage after being applied in spring onto a kikuyu pasture. In the absence of fertiliser N, a total of 15.45 t/ha of soil N was recorded at an average concentration of 0.15%. More than 30% of the soil total N was, however, situated within the top 10cm of soil. organic matter (OM) content in the top 0-10cm of the profile was high (4.75%), reflecting an accumulation of organic matter in this zone. However, as organic C (and thus c: N ratios) declined with depth, so too did soil total N concentration. Not surprisingly, fertiliser measurably increase soil total N, N applications did not but indirectly may have affected soil N dynamics by increasing net mineralisation (due to its "priming" effect) thereby stimulating plant growth and thus increasing the size of the organic N pool through greater plant decay. Total soil N concentration did not change significantly from the first to the second season. This could be attributed to the fact that N gains and losses on the pastures, being over 15 years old, were probably in equilibrium. Generally similar trends in soil total N down the profile over both seasons was further confirmation of this. Before the application of any fertiliser, 331.9 kg NH[4]-N was measured in the soil to a depth of 1m, on average, over both seasons. This amount represented only 2.1% of the soil total N in the profile. The concentration of NH[4]-N followed a quadratic trend down the soil profile, irrespective of the amount of fertiliser N applied, with the largest concentrations accumulating, on average, in the 0-10cm and 75-100cm depth classes and lowest concentrations in the 50-75cm depth class. Laboratory wetting/drying experiments on soil samples collected from a depth of 75-100cm showed that NH[4]-N concentrations declined only marginally from their original concentrations. A high organic C content of 1.44% at this depth was also probable evidence of nitrification inhibition. Analysis of a similar Inanda soil form under a maize crop did not exhibit the properties eluded to above, suggesting that annual turn-over of the soil was causing mineralisation-immobilisation reactions to proceed normally. Addition of fertiliser N to the pasture significantly increased the amount of NH[4]-N over that of the control camps. Furthermore, the higher the application rate, the greater the increase in NH[4]-N accumulation within the soil profile. As N application rates increased, so the NH[4]-N:N0[3]-N ratio narrowed in the soil complex. This was probably due to NH[4]-N being applied ln excess of plant requirements at the high N application rates. On average, 66.7 kg more NH[4]-N was present in the soil in the first season than in the second after fertilisation. Although this amount did not differ significantly from spring through to autumn, during early spring and late summer/autumn concentrations were higher than in mid-summer. Observed soil NH4-N trends were also very similar to the soil total N trends within both seasons, suggesting that soil total N concentrations might well play an important role in determining soil NH4-N concentrations. Before fertilisation, only 45.6 kg N0[3]-N, representing 0.29% of the soil total N, was on average, found in the profile to a depth of 1m. The highest concentration of N0[3]-N was lodged in the top 10cm of the soil. Nitrate-N declined, on average, with depth down the profile. However, during the second season, even though the concentration of N03-N declined down the profile, it increased with depth during relative to that of the first season, suggesting the movement of N0[3]-N down the profile during this period. Fertilisation significantly increased the concentration of N0[3]-N above that of the control camps. Concentrations increased as fertiliser application rates increased, as did N0[3]-N concentrations with depth. This has important implications regarding potential leaching of N03-N into the groundwater, suggesting that once applications reach levels of 300 kg N/ha/season or more, applications should become smaller and more frequent over the season in order to remove this pollution potential. On average, 94.3 kg N0[3]-N/ha was present down to a depth of 1m over both seasons. However, significantly more N0[3]-N was present in the second season than in the first. This result is in contrast to that of the NH[4]-N, wherein lower concentrations were found in the second season than in the first. No specific trends in N0[3]-N concentration were observed within each season. Rather, N0[3]-N concentrations tended to vary inconsistently at each sampling period. Nitrate N and ammonium N concentrations within each month followed a near mirror image. A DM yield of 12.7 t/ha, averaged over all treatments, was measured over the two seasons. A progressive increase in DM yield was obtained with successive increments of N fertiliser. The response of the kikuyu to the N applied did, however, decline as N applications increased. A higher yield of 1.8 t DM/ha in the first season over that of the second was difficult to explain since rainfall amount and distribution was similar over both seasons. On average, 2.84% protein N was measured in the herbage over both seasons. In general, protein N concentrations increased as N application rates increased. On average, higher concentrations of protein-N were measured within the upper (>5cm) than in the lower <5cm) herbage stratum, irrespective of the amount of N applied. Similar bi-modal trends over time in protein-N concentration were measured for all N treatments and within both herbage strata over both seasons, with concentrations tending to be highest during early summer (Dec), and in early autumn (Feb), and lowest during spring (Oct), mid-summer (Jan) and autumn (March). spring and autumn peaks seemed to correspond with periods of slower growth, whilst low mid-summer concentrations coincided with periods of high DM yields and TNC concentrations. The range of N0[3]-N observed in the DM on the Broadacres trial was 0.12% to 0.43%. As applications of fertiliser N to the pasture increased, N0[3]-N concentrations within the herbage increased in a near-linear fashion. On average, higher concentrations of N0[3]-N, irrespective of the amount of fertiliser N applied, were measured wi thin the upper (>5cm) than the lower <5cm) herbage stratum. A similar bi-modal trend to that measured with protein-N concentrations was observed in both seasons for N0[3]-N in the herbage. High concentrations of N0[3]-N were measured during spring (Nov) and autumn (Feb), and lower concentrations in midsummer (Dec & Jan), very early spring (Oct) and early autumn (March). During summer, declining N0[3]-N concentrations were associated with a corresponding increase in herbage DM yields. A lack of any distinctive trend emerged on these trials in the response of TNC to increased fertilisation with N suggests that, in kikuyu, applied N alone would not materially alter TNC concentrations. Higher concentrations of TNC were determined in the lower <5cm) height stratum, on average, than in the corresponding upper (>5cm) stratum. This may be ascribed to the fact that TNCs tend to be found in higher concentrations where plant protein-N and N0[3]-N concentrations are low. A P concentration of 0.248% before N fertilisation, is such that it should preclude any necessity for P supplementation, at least to beef animals. Herbage P concentrations did, however, drop as N fertiliser application rates were increased on the pasture, but were still high enough to preclude supplementation. Even though no significant difference in P concentration was measured between the two herbage strata, a higher P content prevailed within the lower <5cm) herbage stratum. On average, 2.96% K was present within the herbage material in this trial. The norm for pastures ranges between 0.7 and 4.0%. On these trials, applications of fertiliser N to the camps did not significantly affect K concentrations within the herbage. The lower <5cm) herbage stratum, comprising most of the older herbage fraction, was found to contain the highest K concentration in the pasture. The presence of significantly (although probably biologically non-significantly) less K within the herbage in the second season than in the first may be linked to depletion of reserves of · this element in the soil by the plant and/ or elemental interactions between K and other macro-nutrients. An average Ca content of 0.35% within the herbage falls within the range of 0.14 to 1.5% specified by the NRC (1976) as being adequate for all except high-producing dairy animals. Increasing N application rates to the pasture increased the Ca content within the herbage . No significant differences in Ca concentration were found between the upper (>5cm) and lower <5cm) herbage strata over both seasons, even though the lower stratum had a slightly higher Ca concentration, on average, than the upper stratum. Calcium concentrations did not vary between seasons, probably because concentrations tend rather to vary according to stage of plant maturity, season or soil condition. However, higher concentrations of the element were measured in the second season than in the first. The reason for this is unknown. On average, 0.377% Mg was present within the herbage over both seasons. This compares favourably with published data wherein Mg concentrations varied from 0 . 04 to 0.9% in the DM, with a mean of 0.36%. All camps with N applied to them contained significantly more Mg in their herbage than did the material of the control camps. On these trials, the Ca :Mg ratio is 0.92: 1, which 1S considered to be near the optimum for livestock and thus the potential for tetany to arise is minimal. Magnesium concentrations remained essentially similar within both herbage strata, regardless of the rate of fertiliser N applied. As in the case of Ca, Mg concentrations within the herbage were significantly higher in the second season than in the first. Calcium:phosphate ratios increased, on average in the herbage, as N application rates increased. This ratio was high in spring, dropped off in summer and increased again into autumn, suggesting that the two ions were following the growth pattern of the kikuyu over the season. The K/Mg+Ca ratios were nearly double that of the norm, suggesting that the pasture was experiencing luxury K uptake which may be conducive to tetany in animals grazing the pasture. This ratio narrowed as N application rates were increased, probably as a result of ion dilution as the herbage yields increased in response to these N applications. The ratio was low in spring (October), but increased to a peak in December, before declining again to a low in March. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1994.

Lignosulfonate (LS), a by-product of the pulp and paper industry, may have the potential to increase fertilizer N availability by acting as a urease and nitrification inhibitor. Four consecutive laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the behavior of LS in agricultural soils. The effects of various types and rates of LS on soil respiration and soil N dynamics were determined. Effects of LS in combination with fertilizers on microbial activity and N dynamics were measured. Due to the high water solubility of LS a leaching column study was conducted to determine the potential leaching of LS. / Higher rates (20% w/w) of LS initially inhibited microbial activity. Generally LS was relatively resistant to degradation by soil microorganisms and small proportions of added LS-C ($<$2.1%) were leached from the soil columns, but leaching was a function of soil and moisture regime. Recovery of added mineral LS-N from soil treated with LS was low ($<$41%). Mineral N recovered from LS plus fertilizer amended soil was higher than recovery from corresponding fertilizer treatments. Lignosulfonate reduced urea hydrolysis and the proportion of added N volatilized as NH$ sb3$-N from a LS plus urea treatment. The mineral N pool from LS plus fertilizer treated soils had significantly lower NO$ sb3$-N concentrations than corresponding fertilizer treatments. Nitrification inhibition was believed to have been due to high fertilizer concentrations. At reduced urea and LS concentrations, LS decreased NO$ sb3$-N recovery in one of four soil types. However, reduced recovery may not have been from nitrification inhibition but possibly from denitrification or chemical reactions between N and phenolics from LS.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references. / Microfiche. / xiv, 153 leaves, bound ill., map 29 cm

Graduation date: 1993

In the semi - arid Mediterranean - type environments of southern Australia, soil and water resources largely determine crop productivity and ultimately the sustainability of farming systems within the region. The development of sustainable farming systems is a constantly evolving process, of which cropping sequences ( rotations ) are an essential component. This thesis focused on two important soil resources, soil water and nitrogen, and studied the effects of different crop sequences on the dynamic of these resources within current farming systems practiced on the upper Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. The hypothesis tested was that : continuous cropping may alter N dynamics but will not necessarily alter water use efficiency in semi - arid Mediterranean - type environments. Continuous cropping altered N - dynamics ; increases in inorganic N were dependent on the inclusion of a legume in the cropping sequence. Associated with the increase in inorganic N supply was a decrease in WUE by the subsequent wheat crop. Overall, estimates of water use efficiency, a common index of the sustainability of farming systems, in this study concur with reported values for the semi - arid Murray - Mallee region of southern Australia and other semi - arid environments worldwide. Soil water balance and determination of WUE for a series of crop sequences in this thesis suggests that the adoption of continuous cropping may increase WUE and confer a yield benefit compared to crop sequences including a legume component in this environment. No differences in total water use ( ET ) at anthesis or maturity were measured for wheat regardless of the previous crop. Soil evaporation ( E [subscript s] ) was significantly affected by crop canopy development, measured as LAI from tillering until anthesis in 2002, however total seasonal E [subscript s] did not differ between crop sequences. Indeed in environments with infrequent rainfall, such as the upper Eyre Peninsula, soil evaporation may be water - limited rather than energy limited and the potential benefits from greater LAI and reduced E [subscript s] are less. Greater shoot dry matter production and LAI due to an enhanced inorganic N supply for wheat after legumes, and to a lesser degree wheat after canola, relative to continuous cereal crop sequences resulted in increases in WUE calculated at anthesis, as reported by others. Nonetheless the increase in WUE was not sustained due to limitations on available soil water capacity caused by soil physical and chemical constraints. Access to more soil water at depth ( > 0.8m ) through additional root growth was unavailable due to soil chemical limitations. More importantly, the amount of plant available water within the ' effective rooting depth ' ( 0 - 0.8m ) was significantly reduced when soil physical factors were accounted for using the integral water capacity ( IWC ) concept. The difference between the magnitude of the plant available water capacity and the integral water capacity was approximately 90mm within the ' effective rooting depth ' when measured at field capacity, suggesting that the ability of the soil to store water and buffer against periodic water deficit was severely limited. The IWC concept offers a method of evaluating the physical quality of soils and the limitations that these physical properties, viz. aeration, soil strength and hydraulic conductivity, impose on the water supply capacity of the soil. The inability of the soil to maintain a constant supply of water to satisfy maximal transpiration efficiency combined with large amounts of N resulted in ' haying off ', and reduced grain yields. A strong negative linear relationship was established between WUE of grain production by wheat and increasing soil NO [subscript 3] - N at sowing in 2000 and 2002, which conflicts with results from experiments in semi - arid Mediterranean climates in other regions of the world where applications of N increased water use efficiency of grain. Estimates of proportional dependence on N [subscript 2] fixation ( % N [subscript dfa] ) for annual medics and vetch from this study ( 43 - 80 % ) are comparable to others for environments in southern Australia ( < 450mm average annual rainfall ). Such estimates of fixation are considered low ( < 65 % ) to adequate ( 65 - 80 % ). Nevertheless, the amount of plant available N present at sowing for subsequent wheat crops, and the occurrence of ' haying off ', suggests that WUE is not N - limited per se, as implied by some reports, but constrained by the capacity of a soil to balance the co - limiting factors of water and nitrogen. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2005.

O girassol é uma espécie conhecida por apresentar elevada produção de aleloquímicos, sendo fonte de sequisterpenóides e de outros compostos com atividade biológica conhecida. Quatro experimentos, em delineamento completamente casualizado e arranjados em fatorial, tiveram o objetivo principal de avaliar a capacidade alelopática da cultura do girassol. O primeiro experimento, em laboratório, utilizou a técnica de semeadura em substituição, para identificar espécies daninhas e cultivadas que pudessem ser utilizadas como alvo dos efeitos alelopáticos do girassol. O segundo experimento, também em laboratório, utilizando a mesma técnica, avaliou a capacidade diferencial de 23 genótipos de girassol em interferir no desenvolvimento de plântulas de Bidens spp. O terceiro experimento, em casa-de-vegetação, avaliou o potencial de supressão da germinação e crescimento de Bidens spp. através do uso de cinco níveis de palha de três genótipos de girassol sobre o solo. O quarto experimento, também em casa-de-vegetação, avaliou o efeito de cinco intervalos de permanência (60, 30, 15, 10 e 5 dias antes da semeadura) de dois níveis de palha (3.298 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1) produzidos por três genótipos de girassol, sobre a germinação e crescimento de Bidens spp. Contou também com a testemunha sem palha sobre o solo. O primeiro experimento demonstrou que a técnica de semeadura em substituição é adequada para detectar efeitos estimulatórios ou inibitórios de girassol e identificou espécies alvo com potencial para testar efeitos alelopáticos. No segundo experimento, constatou-se grande variabilidade entre os 23 genótipos de girassol quanto à interferência sobre a germinação e o crescimento de Bidens spp. Através de média ponderada, classificou-se os genótipos Aguará 4 e AG 972 como sendo, respectivamente, o mais e menos inibitório para Bidens spp. O terceiro experimento constatou que o incremento dos níveis de palha de girassol na superfície do solo, independentemente do genótipo utilizado, até o nível de 13.192 Kg.ha-1, provoca redução significativa no percentual de emergência e índice de velocidade de emergência Bidens spp.. O quarto experimento não identificou, para a maioria das variáveis, diferenças entre os três genótipos testados. Em geral, a combinação de período de deposição de 15 dias e 13.192 Kg.ha-1 de palha foi responsável pelos maiores efeitos inibitórios sobre as plantas de Bidens spp. A análise dos níveis de nitrato e amônio no solo indicam que provavelmente a imobilização do N do solo não é a causa dos efeitos inibitórios da palha de girassol sobre Bidens spp. / The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a vegetal species of great commercial interest and it's known for presenting elevated allelochemical production, being itself a source of sesquiterpens and other compounds of recognized biological activity.This project proposes to evaluate the allelopathic effect of the sunflower culture. The first experiment evaluated, through the relay seeding technique, the allelopathic effect of the sunflower culture upon different species of both weed and cultivated plants.The second experiment sought to evaluate the differential capacity of 23 sunflower genotypes in the development of Bidens spp. plants, using the relay seeding technique. The third experiment carried out at a greenhouse evaluated the allelopathical potential of the mulching in different levels: 0, 1.649, 3.298, 6.596 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1 of fodder upon the soil. The fourth experiment (3x5x2) made use of three sunflower genotypes, distributed in five time intervals of mulching upon the soil (60, 30, 15, 10 and 5 days before the seeding of the receptive species, Bidens spp., being two of the mulching levels upon the soil: 3.298 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1. It has also counted with an untreated, soil that didn't receive any mulching. The first experiment, conducted in the laboratory, points out to the relay seeding technique, which uses sunflower plants as a donating species, as an adequate technique to detect stimulating or inhibitory effects. In the second experiment, it was seen a great variability as to the germination, root and shoot growth of the species Bidens spp., because of the allelopathical potential of 23 sunflower genotypes. Through a pondered average, it was identified the Aguará 4 genotype as being of the greatest allelopathical potential and the AG 972 genotype, as of smallest potential. In the third experiment, it was seen that the increasing of sunflower mulching on the soil surface, despite of the genotype used, until 13.192 Kg.ha-1provoked a significant reduction in the percentage of emergence, rate of emergence speed, length of the aerial part and root of the Bidens spp. plant. However, there have not been found any significant differences between sunflower genotypes for these standards. In the fourth experiment, using mulching residues, the data didn't allow us to determine the allelopathical differences between the three tested genotypes. Mostly, the combination of time intervals between 15 days and 13.192 Kg.ha-1 of mulching was responsible for the greatest inhibitory effects upon the Bidens spp. plants. The analysis of nitrogen levels in the soil indicate that probably the imobilization of nitrogen is not the cause of inhibitory effects of sunflower straw upon Bidens spp.

O girassol é uma espécie conhecida por apresentar elevada produção de aleloquímicos, sendo fonte de sequisterpenóides e de outros compostos com atividade biológica conhecida. Quatro experimentos, em delineamento completamente casualizado e arranjados em fatorial, tiveram o objetivo principal de avaliar a capacidade alelopática da cultura do girassol. O primeiro experimento, em laboratório, utilizou a técnica de semeadura em substituição, para identificar espécies daninhas e cultivadas que pudessem ser utilizadas como alvo dos efeitos alelopáticos do girassol. O segundo experimento, também em laboratório, utilizando a mesma técnica, avaliou a capacidade diferencial de 23 genótipos de girassol em interferir no desenvolvimento de plântulas de Bidens spp. O terceiro experimento, em casa-de-vegetação, avaliou o potencial de supressão da germinação e crescimento de Bidens spp. através do uso de cinco níveis de palha de três genótipos de girassol sobre o solo. O quarto experimento, também em casa-de-vegetação, avaliou o efeito de cinco intervalos de permanência (60, 30, 15, 10 e 5 dias antes da semeadura) de dois níveis de palha (3.298 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1) produzidos por três genótipos de girassol, sobre a germinação e crescimento de Bidens spp. Contou também com a testemunha sem palha sobre o solo. O primeiro experimento demonstrou que a técnica de semeadura em substituição é adequada para detectar efeitos estimulatórios ou inibitórios de girassol e identificou espécies alvo com potencial para testar efeitos alelopáticos. No segundo experimento, constatou-se grande variabilidade entre os 23 genótipos de girassol quanto à interferência sobre a germinação e o crescimento de Bidens spp. Através de média ponderada, classificou-se os genótipos Aguará 4 e AG 972 como sendo, respectivamente, o mais e menos inibitório para Bidens spp. O terceiro experimento constatou que o incremento dos níveis de palha de girassol na superfície do solo, independentemente do genótipo utilizado, até o nível de 13.192 Kg.ha-1, provoca redução significativa no percentual de emergência e índice de velocidade de emergência Bidens spp.. O quarto experimento não identificou, para a maioria das variáveis, diferenças entre os três genótipos testados. Em geral, a combinação de período de deposição de 15 dias e 13.192 Kg.ha-1 de palha foi responsável pelos maiores efeitos inibitórios sobre as plantas de Bidens spp. A análise dos níveis de nitrato e amônio no solo indicam que provavelmente a imobilização do N do solo não é a causa dos efeitos inibitórios da palha de girassol sobre Bidens spp. / The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a vegetal species of great commercial interest and it's known for presenting elevated allelochemical production, being itself a source of sesquiterpens and other compounds of recognized biological activity.This project proposes to evaluate the allelopathic effect of the sunflower culture. The first experiment evaluated, through the relay seeding technique, the allelopathic effect of the sunflower culture upon different species of both weed and cultivated plants.The second experiment sought to evaluate the differential capacity of 23 sunflower genotypes in the development of Bidens spp. plants, using the relay seeding technique. The third experiment carried out at a greenhouse evaluated the allelopathical potential of the mulching in different levels: 0, 1.649, 3.298, 6.596 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1 of fodder upon the soil. The fourth experiment (3x5x2) made use of three sunflower genotypes, distributed in five time intervals of mulching upon the soil (60, 30, 15, 10 and 5 days before the seeding of the receptive species, Bidens spp., being two of the mulching levels upon the soil: 3.298 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1. It has also counted with an untreated, soil that didn't receive any mulching. The first experiment, conducted in the laboratory, points out to the relay seeding technique, which uses sunflower plants as a donating species, as an adequate technique to detect stimulating or inhibitory effects. In the second experiment, it was seen a great variability as to the germination, root and shoot growth of the species Bidens spp., because of the allelopathical potential of 23 sunflower genotypes. Through a pondered average, it was identified the Aguará 4 genotype as being of the greatest allelopathical potential and the AG 972 genotype, as of smallest potential. In the third experiment, it was seen that the increasing of sunflower mulching on the soil surface, despite of the genotype used, until 13.192 Kg.ha-1provoked a significant reduction in the percentage of emergence, rate of emergence speed, length of the aerial part and root of the Bidens spp. plant. However, there have not been found any significant differences between sunflower genotypes for these standards. In the fourth experiment, using mulching residues, the data didn't allow us to determine the allelopathical differences between the three tested genotypes. Mostly, the combination of time intervals between 15 days and 13.192 Kg.ha-1 of mulching was responsible for the greatest inhibitory effects upon the Bidens spp. plants. The analysis of nitrogen levels in the soil indicate that probably the imobilization of nitrogen is not the cause of inhibitory effects of sunflower straw upon Bidens spp.

No description available.

No description available.