Seedling growth of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ‘Forrest’], common cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L. # XANST), and tall morningglory [Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth. # PHBPU] was compared in field studies. Root growth was determined by measuring roots restricted to the inside of a permeable membrane that contained no soil. Leaf area duration and net assimilation rate between 4 and 9 weeks were greatest for common cocklebur compared to the other species. At 9 weeks, shoot and root dry weight and leaf area were greatest for common cocklebur compared to soybean and tall morningglory. Relative growth rate of common cocklebur roots was greater than the other species between 4 and 9 weeks. Tall morningglory had greater shoot length or height at 4 and 9 weeks and greater shoot or height elongation rate between 2 and 4 weeks, and 4 and 9 weeks than the other species.

The effects of chlorimuron as related to application timing were evaluated on sicklepod and soybean in the glasshouse. Plants were sprayed with chlorimuron at 8.8 g ai ha–1 at 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after planting (DAP). Early (14 DAP) chlorimuron application reduced sicklepod dry weight, leaf area, and water use to levels significantly less than those of plants treated at 28 and 35 DAP. Soybean dry weight and leaf area were not affected by chlorimuron. However, soybean water use was initially reduced at application timings of 28 DAP or earlier but recovered by 4 weeks after treatment (WAT). Sicklepod net assimilation rate (NAR) and relative growth rate (RGR) were reduced by chlorimuron regardless of application timing while soybean was not affected.

The effect of quackgrass [Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv.] density and duration of interference on soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] was investigated in two studies. In the density study, the average reduction in soybean yield by quackgrass densities of 520 and 910 shoots/m2 was 19 and 55%, respectively. Quackgrass densities of 95 and 160 shoots/m2 did not significantly reduce soybean yields. The number of branches that produced pods, the number of pods and seeds per plant, and soybean height were reduced by the two highest densities. In 1980, quackgrass densities of 265 and 595 shoots/m2 reduced soybean leaf area and plant dry weight. Leaf area partitioning (LAP), leaf weight partitioning (LWP), and net assimilation rate (NAR) of soybeans were reduced by a quackgrass density of 595 shoots/m2. In the duration study, interference by a natural stand of quackgrass for 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and full-season decreased soybean yield an average of 11, 23, and 33%, respectively. Results from the duration study suggest that a selective postemergence herbicide for the control of quackgrass in soybeans would be beneficial if available.

Triazine-susceptible (S) and -resistant (R) biotypes of smooth pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus L.) were grown in the field under competitive conditions at varying initial proportions of S and R plants. R plants were less competitive than S plants as measured by accumulation of total above-ground dry weight and seed dry weight. S and R plants were also grown in the field under non-competitive conditions at 100, 40, and 10% light. Growth rate at 10% light did not differ between S and R plants. At the two higher light intensities, dry-matter accumulation 11 weeks after seeding was about 40% less in the R plants. At 100% light, relative growth rate and net assimilation rate were lower in the R plants by about 3.5 and 19%, respectively. The light- and CO2-saturated rates of CO2 fixation in intact leaves of glasshouse-grown R plants were 20% less than those in S plants. An apparent 10 and 20% greater number of chlorophyll molecules per photosystem II reaction center in R plants (as compared with S plants) grown in the field at 40 and 100% light, respectively, did not explain differences between the S and R biotypes in photo synthetic capacity. The S and R plants did not differ in specific leaf weight or chlorophyll content on a leaf-area basis. Lower growth rate of R plants may be responsible for inferior competitive ability of R biotypes and could be the result of an impaired photosynthetic capacity.

Growth and morphological characteristics of four weed and two crop species were analyzed to determine how small-seeded weeds can compete with large-seeded crops despite the initial size disadvantage. Small-seeded weeds had higher relative growth rates because of increased percentages of biomass devoted to leaves. This morphological scheme was achieved primarily through a reduction in the percentage of biomass devoted to roots. Yet, small-seeded weeds were able to develop larger mean plant root lengths as a result of having both roots of smaller diameter and higher rates of root length increase.

The relationship between trifluralin dosages detected in the soil at seeding, initial crop injury, and subsequent recovery of spring wheat during the growing season was investigated in field experiments in 1986 and 1987. As the amount of trifluralin in the soil increased, both crop density and dry matter production decreased such that at 1 kg/ha the two were reduced by 37 and 50%, respectively, early in the season. As the season progressed, crop growth rates (CGRs) of wheat in trifluralin-treated plots exceeded those of wheat in the untreated plots. Maximum CGRs occurred between Zadok's growth stages 30 and 45 where trifluralin levels in the soil were 0.3 to 0.5 kg ai/ha at seeding. Recovery from trifluralin injury was characterized by enhanced net assimilation rates of surviving plants, increased tillering and greater dry matter production per plant. Wheat seed yield was only weakly correlated with trifluralin levels in the soil at seeding. From a linear regression model it was determined that a 35% reduction in plant dry weight from the trifluralin injury at the beginning of tillering would result in no more than a 10% reduction in seed yield at final harvest.

A 2-yr field study was conducted to compare growth characteristics of 24 Palmer amaranth accessions collected from across the indigenous range of the species in the United States. Variation in growth and development of Palmer amaranth was noted among accessions based on leaf area ratio (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA), net assimilation rate (NAR), and stem leaf ratio (SLR), but only SLR varied across harvest intervals among accessions. Accessions collected across the range of Palmer amaranth in the United States displayed variation in growth and development based on differences in LAR, SLA, NAR, and SLR. Observed differences among accessions indicate the existence of Palmer amaranth ecotypes.

The impact of seed size on germination and seedling growth, as affected by water stress, was studied for five tree species from tropical dry forest of India, viz. Albizia procera, Acacia nilotica, Phyllanthus emblica, Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia chebula. Germination tests were conducted under five osmotic potential levels. Seedlings from large (LS) and small (SS) seeds were grown at four soil moisture levels. Observations were made on height, leaf area, biomass and other growth traits such as relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), specific leaf area (SLA), and root:shoot (R:S) ratio. Seeds of pioneer species and large seeds, within species, germinated earlier, and with increasing water stress, per cent germination and germination velocity declined. RGR was inversely related with drought tolerance. R:S ratio increased, RGR and SLA declined, but NAR increased with water stress. Notwithstanding successional status, the slow-growing species registered minimum reduction in biomass due to water stress. The response of LS and SS seedlings also differed for some of the growth variables. Increase in NAR could be a compensatory response to water stress, and the marked allocational plasticity could help maximize capture of the limited resource. Seedlings from smaller seeds, particularly of fast-growing species, would be able to cope with mild drought by morphogenetic and physiological plastic response in a better way than those from large seeds. However, seedlings from large seeds had greater survival than those from smaller seeds under intense water stress.

Field studies were conducted to characterise the effects of infestations by adult and nymphal stages of cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch, on the growth and yield of cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Seedling, flowering, and podding stage plants of aphid-resistant (cv. ICV-12) and aphid-susceptible (cv. ICV-1) cowpea cultivars were used in the studies. Four treatments (consisting of infestations with adult and nymphal aphids, caged controls and uncaged controls) were administered on plants for 22 days post-treatment. Eight parameters of crop success were measured: extended leaf heights (ELH); plant mortality; incidence of sooty mould; incidence and abundance of natural enemy species; crop growth parameters (net assimilation rate, [NAR] in g/ dm2/day, and crop growth rate [CGR] in g/dm2 land surface/day); and plant yields (seeds per pod, weight per seed). Data were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), orthogonal contrasts and 95% confidence intervals (C.I.). There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences between adult and nymphal infestations or between caged and uncaged controls, so the respective sets of data were combined for comparisons of aphid infestations with control treatments. Infestations caused severe plant stunting and other growth deformities, drastic yield reductions, higher plant mortality, greater incidence of natural enemies and abundance of Cheilomenes spp. on cv. ICV-1 than on cv. ICV-12, and on infested and uninfested plants. Aphid infestations did not significantly affect the incidence of sooty mould on plants of cv. ICV-12 or cv. ICV-1.