The germination and emergence of a seedling, or seedling recruitment remains an essential process in the establishment of a plant. This establishment can be limited by the availability of microsites within the soil profile, or the availability of seed within a given area. Three field experiments were initiated in Saskatchewan, Canada to examine the relative effect of seed and microsite limitations on weed seedling recruitment. The first experiment examined the effect of landscape position as well as nitrogen (N) rate and tillage system (zero tillage vs. conventional tillage) on weed seedling recruitment from an indigenous weed population. Survey results indicated habitat differentiation of the weed population with wild oat and cleavers preferentially recruiting in the lower landscape positions, Russian thistle and Kochia in the upper landscape positions, while green foxtail recruited in high levels on all landscape positions. This suggested that different weed species have different microsite requirements for weed seedling recruitment across contrasting landscape positions. The second field experiment examined the effect of landscape position and moisture availability on weed seedling recruitment from an artificial hand-seeded weed seedbank. This experiment indicated that seed limitation remained a very important factor, but even when irrigated, total seedling recruitment did not reach maximum recruitment, indicating water was not the only limiting resource for weed seedling recruitment. Microsite limitations were greatest on the upper slope position for all species with green foxtail having the greatest overall recruitment of the species across all landscapes and moisture regimes. The third experiment examined the effect of tillage system and density on weed seedling recruitment of wild oat, green foxtail, and wild mustard. Again, weed seedling recruitment remained a function of both microsite and seed limitations as absolute recruitment values increased for each density examined in this experiment. The agronomic significance of microsite limitation was negligible as high weed population numbers occurred for the highest weed seeding densities. Overall, microsite limitations remained negligible in these experiments for arable agriculture with the main influence on weed seedling recruitment most often being seed limitation in the natural seedbank.

The germination and emergence of a seedling, or seedling recruitment remains an essential process in the establishment of a plant. This establishment can be limited by the availability of microsites within the soil profile, or the availability of seed within a given area. Three field experiments were initiated in Saskatchewan, Canada to examine the relative effect of seed and microsite limitations on weed seedling recruitment. The first experiment examined the effect of landscape position as well as nitrogen (N) rate and tillage system (zero tillage vs. conventional tillage) on weed seedling recruitment from an indigenous weed population. Survey results indicated habitat differentiation of the weed population with wild oat and cleavers preferentially recruiting in the lower landscape positions, Russian thistle and Kochia in the upper landscape positions, while green foxtail recruited in high levels on all landscape positions. This suggested that different weed species have different microsite requirements for weed seedling recruitment across contrasting landscape positions. The second field experiment examined the effect of landscape position and moisture availability on weed seedling recruitment from an artificial hand-seeded weed seedbank. This experiment indicated that seed limitation remained a very important factor, but even when irrigated, total seedling recruitment did not reach maximum recruitment, indicating water was not the only limiting resource for weed seedling recruitment. Microsite limitations were greatest on the upper slope position for all species with green foxtail having the greatest overall recruitment of the species across all landscapes and moisture regimes. The third experiment examined the effect of tillage system and density on weed seedling recruitment of wild oat, green foxtail, and wild mustard. Again, weed seedling recruitment remained a function of both microsite and seed limitations as absolute recruitment values increased for each density examined in this experiment. The agronomic significance of microsite limitation was negligible as high weed population numbers occurred for the highest weed seeding densities. Overall, microsite limitations remained negligible in these experiments for arable agriculture with the main influence on weed seedling recruitment most often being seed limitation in the natural seedbank.

Harvest weed seed control (HWSC) methods concentrate, remove, or destroy weed seeds captured by the combine during harvest. Furthermore, chaff lining uses a chute fitted on the back of a combine to concentrate chaff and weed seed therein into a narrow line. Since chaff amount increases with crop yield, studies aimed to determine how varying crop yield and the associated chaff amount will affect chaff lining control of select weed species, while also examining subsequent crop performance. Objective 1 of this work focused on wheat chaff lining (WCL), and objective 2 studied soybean chaff lining (SCL). Weed species of interest included wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis L.) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum L. Husnot) in WCL and Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S.) and common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) subject to SCL. Each weed species was evaluated in separate experiments, and the SCL experiment included an additional factor of with and without a cereal rye cover crop treatment. Chaff lines mimicked harvest across a range of wheat and soybean yields, with equal weed seed additions (based on existing fecundity and seed shatter phenology data) to each chaff line. A conventional harvest (control) and an outside-the-chaff-line treatment were included, where total fecundity or weed seed rain occurring prior to harvest based on weed species were broadcast respectively. Inhibition of crop and weed emergence as a function of yield and the associated chaff amount was also investigated in the greenhouse. Crop yield across treatments at the field scale (accounts for both chaff lines and outside-the-chaff-line), was not affected in double-crop soybean following WCL and full-season soybean following SCL. Field scale wheat yield in WCL compared to conventional harvest was not different, increased, or decreased in 8, 3, and 1 site-years, respectively. WCL reduced total weed emergence over the combined double-crop soybean and winter wheat growing seasons by 43-54% at the field scale. SCL reduced common ragweed emergence in cereal rye by 64% and 85% in 2 of 3 locations across the soybean growing season. The cover crop did not reduce common ragweed emergence while it was growing, but residual mulch in soybean reduced emergence by 39%. No differences were observed in Palmer amaranth emergence during cereal rye growth, however cereal rye decreased total emergence by 41%. In 6 of 7 Palmer amaranth location-years, SCL decreased field scale weed emergence in soybean by 81%. These results indicate chaff may create an unfavorable environment for weed seed emergence. In both WCL and SCL, greater amounts of chaff caused larger reductions in weed emergence. Objective 3 focused on quantifying the above-ground biomass breakdown of soybean plants into chaff, straw, and seed fractions as they are processed and dispensed by various harvesters. Depending on HWSC system, chaff and straw residues may also be destroyed, removed, or concentrated. Therefore, chaff and straw nutrient composition was analyzed to evaluate the nutrient and economic consequences of HWSC. Our results show average soybean harvest index is 0.57:1. Furthermore, chaff and straw residues equal 13.4% and 68.5% of the seed weight, respectively. Using 5-year average fertilizer prices (2017 – 2021), replacement of N, P, K and S in chaff, straw, and the combination of both residues costs USD 1.58, USD 5.88, and USD 7.46, respectively. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / In conventional wheat and soybean production, the primary means of weed control is herbicides. If herbicide use is not diversified, a repeated selection pressure drives weeds to evolve resistance to such chemistries. Producers and researchers alike are constantly looking for new ways to combat weeds and herbicide-resistant issues. Originally developed to control nuisance weeds in Australia, harvest weed seed control (HWSC) offers promise in aiding our current herbicide resistance crisis. To further explain HWSC, it is important to know the harvesting mechanism. Many of the row crops including corn, soybean and wheat are harvested using a combine. Combines cut below or tear off plant material to capture the grain or seed which is processed via a threshing system and separated into three fractions: the seed, chaff, and straw. The grain is allocated to a storage bin and eventually removed from the field. In conventional harvest, the remaining crop residue is spread evenly behind the combine across the field to ensure a balanced distribution of organic matter, nutrients, and residue across the field. There is however more than chaff and straw being dispersed. Weeds present in the field at harvest whose seed is retained at crop maturity and at an elevation above the combine header height will inherently end up inside the combine. HWSC are methods intended to capitalize on the combine capturing weed seeds during harvest. Many HWSC approaches to managing weed seed exist, including destruction, removal and concentration of weed seed. Most of this research focuses on only one method of HWSC, chaff lining. Chaff lining utilizes a chute fitted onto the back of the combine and concentrates weed seed and the chaff fraction only into a narrow line behind the combine. Although not directly known, chaff may inhibit future weed emergence within the line due to a mulching effect, intraspecific competition, a greater degree of rotting and increased seed predators. The chute is inexpensive to construct, and there are no additional labor requirements at harvest making it an appealing HWSC option. There is a limited amount of research on chaff lining in North American cropping systems making it a prime HWSC candidate for this thesis. We were curious if chaff lining could benefit wheat and soybean farmers and if crop yield and the associated chaff amount deposited in chaff lines would have any impact on crops planted and weeds placed in lines. Our results indicate chaff lining does not cause field scale yield consequence in double-crop and full-season soybean following wheat and soybean chaff lining, respectively. The effect of wheat chaff lining on wheat field scale yield was variable, but only caused a yield decrease in 1 of 12 experimental locations. Reductions in weed emergence in chaff lining systems compared to conventional indicate chaff may alter the environment to be unfavorable for weed seed emergence. The final objective of this thesis investigates the economic cost of nutrient loss among HWSC systems. Using average fertilizer prices, the cost to apply N, P, K and S concentrated or lost during HWSC in chaff, straw, and the combination of both residues is USD 1.58, USD 5.88, and USD 7.46, respectively.