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Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) Competition for Water in Cotton

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Sarah T. Berger ,
Jason A. Ferrell ,
Diane L. Rowland  and
Theodore M. Webster
Sarah T. Berger
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
Jason A. Ferrell*
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
Diane L. Rowland
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
Theodore M. Webster
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA 31793
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: jferrell@ufl.edu
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Abstract

Palmer amaranth is a troublesome weed in cotton production. Yield losses of 65% have been reported from season-long Palmer amaranth competition with cotton. To determine whether water is a factor in this system, experiments were conduced in 2011, 2012, and 2013 in Citra, FL, and in Tifton, GA. In 2011, infrequent rainfall lead to drought stress. The presence of Palmer amaranth resulted in decreased soil relative water content up to 1 m in depth. Cotton stomatal conductance (gs) was reduced up to 1.8 m from a Palmer amaranth plant. In 2012 and 2013 higher than average rainfall resulted in excess water throughout the growing season. In this situation, no differences were found in soil relative water content or cotton gs as a function of proximity to Palmer amaranth. A positive linear trend was found in cotton photosynthesis and yield; each parameter increased as distance from Palmer amaranth increased. Even in these well-watered conditions, daily water use of Palmer amaranth was considerably higher than that of cotton, at 1.2 and 0.49 g H20 cm−2 d−1, respectively. Although Palmer amaranth removed more water from the soil profile, rainfall was adequate to replenish the profile in 2 of the 3 yr of this study. However, yield loss due to Palmer amaranth was still observed despite no change in gs, indicating other factors, such as competition for light or response to neighboring plants during development, are driving yield loss.

Keywords

Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.Water competition
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 63 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 928 - 935
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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Footnotes

Associate Editor for this article: Christopher Preston, University of Adelaide.

References

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