Taxonomic diversity and distinctness indices in assessment of weed communities

Abstract

This paper contains an analysis of taxonomic weed biodiversity in the cultivation of spring barley in the period of 1990-2004, grown in crop rotation after potato with a 25% share of this cereal (potato - spring barley - field pea - winter triticale) as well as in crop rotation with its 75% share (potato - spring barley - spring barley - spring barley) in which barley was grown once and twice after the same barley crop. No weed control was used in the present experiment. Every year in the spring (at full emergence of the cereal crop) and before harvest, the species composition and the numbers of individual weed species were determined, as well as weed biomass before harvest. On this basis, the taxonomic diversity and distinctness indices were calculated. Potato/barley crop rotation with a 25% share of this cereal and growing spring barley once and twice after the same barley crop did not differentiate taxonomic weed biodiversity. However, it was positively correlated with rainfall abundance during the growing season and negatively correlated with mean temperature. The taxonomic diversity indices were positively correlated with species richness and species diversity, whereas the taxonomic distinctness indices did not generally show any relationship with these measures. Spring barley grain yield did not depend on taxonomic biodiversity of weed communities.