Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Factors influencing the weed seed banks in the Gezira Scheme, Sudan

Author(s):

Rehab O. Karar ^{1, 2}, B. F. Mohamed ², R. H. Marrs ^1*

Recieved Date: 2005-04-07, Accepted Date: 2005-08-22

Abstract:

Sudan is the largest country in Africa in which agriculture plays a major role. The most important agricultural area is the Gezira Scheme, irrigated from the Sennar Dam on the Blue Nile, where weed infestation is an important constraint to crop production. This study used germination trials to investigate the weed seed banks under different conditions within the Gezira scheme. Five agricultural units were surveyed where a four-cycle crop rotation system (cotton, groundnuts, sorghum, fallow) is used. Out of 25 weed species detected, eight contributed a large proportion to the seed bank. The lowest seedling densities (413 seeds m^-2) occurred in cotton, fallow (897) and sorghum (2351) being intermediate, and groundnuts (7567 seeds m^-2) the highest. Three species (Commelina kotschy, Brachiaria eruciformis, Phyllanthus nirur) showed significant differences in seedbank density, in the order groundnuts > sorghum > cotton. Differences were also found between the agricultural units suggesting that local variations in management or spatial location may also influence seed bank densities. The current management favoured annual dicotyledons, with more annuals found in the crops than in fallow. Weed control in the Gezira scheme was effective in cotton but still required additional investigation in groundnuts and sorghum.

Keywords:

Weeds, weed seed bank communities, sub-tropical agro-ecosystems, crop rotations, weed control

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2005
Volume: 3
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 161-166

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :