Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-94d59 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-17T23:27:47.663Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of Soil Calcium and pH on Seed Germination and Subsequent Growth of Large Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Gary L. Pierce
Affiliation:
Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Box 7609, Raleigh, NC 27695
Stuart L. Warren*
Affiliation:
Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Box 7609, Raleigh, NC 27695
Robert L. Mikkelsen
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, North Carolina State University, Box 7609, Raleigh, NC 27695
H. Michael Linker
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Science, North Carolina State University, Box 7609, Raleigh, NC 27695
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: stu_warren@ncsu.edu.

Abstract

Large crabgrass is a problem weed in horticultural crops, particularly in turfgrass in the southeastern United States. If growth of large crabgrass could be suppressed via soil pH or calcium levels, control of this weed in turfgrass might be improved while minimizing herbicide usage. To determine the effect of soil calcium and pH on germination and growth of large crabgrass, seeds were sown in a loamy sand soil amended with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) that established a range of soil pH from 4.8 to 7.8. Seeds were also sown in soil amended similarly with calcium sulfate (CaSO4), which does not affect pH, that established a range of exchangeable Ca levels corresponding to the Ca range in CaCO3 from pH 4.8 to 7.8. Seed germination of large crabgrass was unaffected by pH when soil was amended with CaCO3, whereas seed germination decreased with increasing pH when soil was amended with MgCO3. Crabgrass germination was not affected by Ca (CaSO4) independent of pH changes. Increasing soil pH reduced shoot and root dry weights of seedlings regardless of material used to raise pH. Maximum shoot dry weights occurred at pH 4.8 in the unamended soil, whereas maximum root dry weights occurred at ranges from pH 5.8 to 6.3 for CaCO3 and pH 5.3 to 5.8 for MgCO3. Shoot and root dry weights were not affected by Ca when soil was amended with CaSO4. By raising soil pH levels, the growth of large crabgrass and its ability to compete with turfgrass may be reduced. Raising exchangeable Ca does not appear to be an effective management tool for control of this weed species.

Type
Research
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 by the Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Current address of first author: Assistant Agricultural Extension Agent, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Smithfield, NC 27577; E-mail address: gary_pierce@ces.ncsu.edu.

References

Literature Cited

Adams, F. 1984. Crop response to lime in the southern United States. In Adams, F., ed. Soil Acidity and Liming. 2nd ed. Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomists. pp. 211265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andersen, A. B. 1992. Science in Agriculture. Kansas City, MO: Acres USA. 330 p.Google Scholar
Buchanan, G. A., Hoveland, C. S., and Harris, M. C. 1975. Response of weeds to soil pH. Weed Sci. 23:473477.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, G. R. 1966. Where Secondary Elements Fit into the Picture. Maximum Crop Yields—The Challenge. Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomists Pub. 9. 92 p.Google Scholar
De Silva, D.L.R., Ruiz, L. P., Atkinson, C. J., and Mansfield, T. A. 1994. Physiological disturbances caused by high rhizospheric calcium in the calcifuge Lupinus luteus . J. Exp. Bot. 45:585590.Google Scholar
Epstein, E. and Leggett, J. E. 1954. The absorption of alkaline earth cations by barley roots: kinetics and mechanism. Am. J. Bot. 41:785791.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holm, L., Pancho, J. V., Herberger, J. P., and Plucknett, D. L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. New York: Wiley. 391 p.Google Scholar
Johnson, B. J. and Burns, R. E. 1985. Effect of soil pH, fertility, and herbicides on weed control and quality of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) turf. Weed Sci. 33:366370.Google Scholar
Kim, T. J., Rossi, F. S., and Neal, J. C. 1997. Inter- and intra-specific variation in crabgrass (Digitaria spp.). Weed Sci. Soc Am. Abstr. 37:112.Google Scholar
Lane, W. B. and Sartor, J. D. 1966. Exchangeable calcium content of United States soils. Soil Sci. 101:390391.Google Scholar
Lyle, E. S. 1970. Effects of available soil calcium on tap-root elongation of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings. PhD dissertation. Auburn University, Auburn, AL. 173 p.Google Scholar
Mehlich, A. 1984. Mehlich 3 soil test extractant: a modification of Mehlich 2 extractant. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 15:14091416.Google Scholar
Rorison, I. H. and Robinson, D. 1984. Calcium as an environmental variable. Plant Cell Environ. 7:381390.Google Scholar
[SAS] Statistical Analysis Systems. 1985. SAS User's Guide: Statistics. Version 6.09. Cary, NC: Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 889 p.Google Scholar
Stephenson, R. J. and Rechcigl, J. E. 1991. Effects of dolomite and gypsum on weeds. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 22:15691579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teem, D. H., Hoveland, C. S., and Buchanan, G. A. 1974. Primary root elongation of three weed species. Weed Sci. 22:4750.Google Scholar
Tucker, M. R. and Rhodes, R. 1987. Crop fertilization based on N.C. soil test. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Department of Agriculture Circ. 1. 24 p.Google Scholar
Tyler, G. 1994. A new approach to understanding the calcifuge habit of plants. Ann. Bot. 73:327330.Google Scholar
Tyler, G. and Strom, L. 1995. Differing organic acid exudation pattern explains calcifuge and acidifuge behavior of plants. Ann. Bot. 75:7578.Google Scholar
Walters, C. 1991. Weeds, Control Without Poisons. Kansas City, MO: Acres USA. 320 p.Google Scholar
Ward, J. M., Pei, Z., and Schroeder, J. I. 1995. Roles of ion channels in initiation of signal transduction in higher plants. Plant Cell 7:833844.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weaver, S. E. and Hamill, A. S. 1985. Effects of soil pH on competitive ability and leaf nutrient content of corn (Zea mays L.) and three weed species. Weed Sci. 33:447451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar