Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2017
The role of weed biomass in the nutrient balance of agro-ecosystems remainspoorly understood. To measure the rate of decomposition and nutrient releaseof common weeds, litterbag methodology was employed using waterhemp andgiant foxtail desiccated by glyphosate at heights of 10, 20, 30, and 45 cmin two southern Illinois soybean fields. Losses were then expressed as adecay constant (k) regressed over time according to thesingle exponential decay model. Concentrations of the recalcitrant cell wallcomponents (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) were generally greatest asweed height (maturity) increased in giant foxtail compared with waterhemp.Sixteen weeks after desiccation by glyphosate, 10-cm waterhemp and giantfoxtail detritus had lost 10 and 12% more mass, respectively, compared tothe 45-cm height of each species. Decomposition rates revealed mass loss washighest for 10-cm waterhemp (kD = 0.022) and lowest for 45-cm giant foxtail (kD = 0.011) and this process was negatively correlated to theoverall amount of cell wall constituents (r = −0.73). Nutrient release ratesfollowed a similar trend in that both shorter (younger) weeds and waterhempliberated nutrients more readily. Across all tested plant material, K wasthe nutrient most rapidly released, whereas, Ca was the most stronglyretained nutrient.
Current address: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907.