The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of intraspecific competition on the growth and reproduction of yellow nutsedge. A field experiment was conducted to examine twelve tuber densities of yellow nutsedge, ranging from 1 to 1000 tubers/m$ sp2$. Results indicate that spring tuber populations of 100 tubers/m$ sp2$ and lower require close to 100% control of the infestation in order to prevent the yellow nutsedge population from increasing. Yellow nutsedge spring tuber population does not appear to influence tuber distribution in the soil profile. All tuber densities examined produced the greatest proportion of tubers in the top 20 cm of the soil profile. Tuber and shoot production increased as initial yellow nutsedge tuber populations increased from 1 to 1000 tubers/m$ sp2$, as did tuber and shoot biomass. Consequently, intraspecific competition does not appear to come into effect at tuber populations of 1000 tubers/m$ sp2$ and less. / Predictions were made to determine the spread of yellow nutsedge based on an infestation of a single tuber. A single yellow nutsedge tuber could grow to infest an area of 50 m$ sp2$ in 5 years. Information concerning the effect of spring tuber density on the reproduction and spread of yellow nutsedge should be used in formulating control strategies for this weed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.59234 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Sterkenburg, Neilda Jane |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Plant Science.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001069738, proquestno: AAIMM63406, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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