ALBERT

Notes: The allelopathic influence of four developmental stages of nodding thistle (small rosette, large rosette, bolting and dead plants) on eleven test species (six grasses, four legumes and itself) was investigated using aqueous extract bioassays, aqueous leachate bioassays, and bioassays based on addition of ground material to soil. The aqueous extract and leachate bioassays indicated that nodding thistle was most allelopathic at the rosette stages, while the bioassays involving amendment of soil with thistle tissue showed bolting live and dead plants to be the most allelopathic. It is proposed that nodding thistle is allelopathic at two phases of its development, i.e. at the early bolting stage when the larger rosette leaves are decomposing and releasing soluble inhibitors, and at the stage when bolting plants are dying and releasing insoluble inhibitors. Nodding thistle seedlings appear to be stimulated by addition of thistle tissues to soil, indicating that thistle plants may weaken pasture and simultaneously encourage recruitment of its own species. This is consistent with previous studies detecting high densities of thistle seedlings in the vicinity of deceased parent plants. The six grass species were generally more tolerant to thistle allelopathic effects than were the four legume species, but no consistent differences emerged between different grass or legume species. Influence de l'age de la plante sur le potentiel allélopathique du chardon penche (Carduus nutans L.) vis a vis des prairies de graminées et de légumineusesL'influence allélopathique de 4 stades de développement du chardon penché (petite rosette, grande rosette, montaison, plantes mortes) sur 11 espèces tests (6 graminées, 4 légumineuses et lui-même) a étéétudiée en utilisant des bioessais d'extraction acqueuse, des bioessais de lessivage acqueux et des bioessais fondés sur l'addition au sol d'amendement. Les bioessais d'extraction acqueuse et de lessivage ont montré que le chardon penchéétait plus allélopathique au stade rosette tandis que les bioessais impliquant l'amendement de sol avec des tissues de chardon ont montré que la montaison et les plantes mortes étaient les plus allélopathiques. Il est proposé que le chardon penché est allélopathique à 2 phases de son développement, par exemple au stade montaison précoce quand les plus grandes feuilles de la rosette se décomposent et relachent les inhibiteurs solubles, et au stade où les plantes montées meurent et relächent les inhibiteurs insolubles. Les plantules de chardon penché apparaissent être stimulées par l'addition de tissus de chardon au sol, montrant que les plantes de chardon peuvent affaiblir une prairie et simultanément favoriser sa propre réimplantation. Ceci est conforme avec des études précédentes montrant des fortes densités de plantules de chardon au voisinage de plantes parentes mortes. Les 6 espèces de graminées ont été de façon générale plus tolérantes aux effets allélopathiques que les 4 espèces de légumineuses, mais aucune différence importante ne s'est exprimée entre les différentes espèces de graminées ou de légumineuses. Einfluβ des Pflanzenalters der Nickenden Distel (Carduus nutans L.) auf die allelopathische Wirkung gegen Weidegräser und LeguminosenDie allelopathische Wirkung der Nickenden Distel wurde in 4 Entwicklungsstadien (in kleiner und in voller Rosette, blütentreibend und abgestorben) gegen 11 Pflanzenarten (6 Gräser, 5 Leguminosen und sich selbst) mit wäßrigen Auszügen, Perkolationswasser und Bodenmaterial zum Substrat geprüft. Mit den wäßrigen Auszügen und dem Perkolationswasser zeigte sich die Nickende Distel im Rosetten-Stadium am meisten allelopathisch, während Bodenmaterial mit Resten blütentreibender und abgestorbener Pflanzen wirksamer war. Es kann angenommen werden, daß die Nickende Distel in 2 Entwicklung sphasen allelopathisch wirkt, nämlich wenn die größeren Rosettenblätter oder wenn die blütentreibenden Pflanzen vergeben und 1ösliche Hemmstoffe entlassen. Keimpflanzen der Nickenden Distel werden offensichtlich durch Pflanzenmaterial der Distel im Wachstum angeregt; die Distel schwächt also Weide-Pflanzenarten und fördert zugleich ihre eigene Entwicklung. Dieser Befund deckt sich mit der Beobachtung hoher Keimpflanzen-Dichten um abgestorbenen Mutterpflanzen. Die 6 Gräser waren durchweg gegenüber der allelopathischen Wirkung der Distel unempfindlicher als die 4 Leguminosen, doch innerhalb dieser Gruppen zeigten sich keine klaren Unterschiede.

Notes: Swards of 10 pasture species (six grasses and four legumes) were established and planted with seeds of either of the thistle species Carduus nutans L. or Cirsium vulgare L., and emergence and growth of the thistle seedlings were subsequently monitored. Emergence of C. nutans seedlings was inhibited by ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus L.) swards, while C, vulgare emergence was inhibited by Yorkshire fog relative to some of the other treatments. Speed of emergence of C. nutans and absolute emergence of C. vulgare seedlings were significantly negatively correlated with pasture cover density, presumably as a consequence of alteration of light quality by the pasture swards. All pasture species inhibited seedling shoot and root growth of both thistle species, although the grasses were the most effective inhibitors. The seedling emergence and growth data for C. nutans in the swards of the 10 species were significantly correlated with the results of a previous study on residual allelopathic effects of the same 10 species on nodding thistle root growth. It is concluded that inhibitory (including allelopathic) influences of pasture species on thistle seedlings have considerable potential as a mechanism for managing problematic thistle populations. Influence de converts de pature de graminees et de legumineuses sur la levée et la croissance de Carduus nutans L. et Cirsium vulgare L.Des couverts de 10 espèces fourrageres (6 graminées et 4 légumineuses) ont étéétablis et infestés avec des graines de 1'une ou 1'autre des espèces de chardon, Carduus nutans L. et Cirsium vulgare L.; la levée et la croissance des plantules de chardon ont été ensuite suivies. La levée des plantules de C. nutans a été inhibéee par les couverts de ray-grass (LoliumperenneL.) et de houlque laineuse (Holcus lanatus L.) tandis que la levée de C. vulgareétait inhibée par la houlque laineuse en comparaison de quelques-unes des autres modalites. La vitesse de levée de C. nutans et la levée globale de C. vulgare ont été corrélées négativement de façon significative avec la densité du couvert, probablement en conséquence de 1'altération de la qualité de la lumière par les tapis, fourragers. Toutes les espèces de fourrages ont inhibé la croissance des tiges et des racines des plantules des 2 espèces de chardon, bien que les graminèes aient été des inhibiteurs plus efficaces. La Ievée des plantules et les chiffres de la croissance de C. nutans dans les couverts des 10 espéces étaient correlées de façon significative avec les résultats d'une étude antérieure sur les effets allélopathiques résiduels de quelques-unes des 10 espèces sur la croissance racinaire du chardon. II est conclu que les effets inhibiteurs (y compris I'allélopathie) des espèces fourragères sur les plantules de chardon ont un potentiel considèrable pour gérer le problème des populations de chardon. Einfluβ von Weidegräser- und Leguminosen-Beständen auf Samenkeimung und Wachstum von Carduus nutans L. und Cirsium vulgare L.In Beständen von 10 Weide-Pflanzenarten (6 Gräser und 4 Leguminosen) wurden Samen der Disteln Carduus nutans L. und Cirsium vulgare L. ausgebracht und deren Keimung und Wachstum beobachtet. Die Keimung von Carduus nutans wurde in Beständen von Weidelgras (Lolium perenne L.) und Wolligem Honiggras (Holcus lanatus L.) gehemmt, während die Keimung von Cirsium vulgare in Wolligem Honiggras genauso wie in einigen anderen Beständen gehemmt war. Die Keimungsgeschwindigkeit von Carduus nutans und die gesamte Keimung von Cirsium vulgäre waren signifikant negativ mit der Dichte der Weide-Pflanzenbestände korreliert, vermutlich wegen Änderung der Lichtqualität durch die Pflanzendecke. Alle Weide-Pflanzenarten, besonders jedoch die Gräser, hemmten das Sproß- und Wurzelwachstum der Keimpflanzen der beiden Disteln. Keimung und Wachstum der Carduus-nutans-Keimpflanzen in den Beständen der 10 Arten entsprachen ganz den Befunden einer früheren Untersuchung über allelopathische Wirkungen derselben 10 Arten auf das Wurzelwachstum der Nickenden Distel. Den Hemmwirkungen (einschließlich allelopathischen) von Weide-Pflanzenarten auf Distel-Keim-pflanzen kommt offenbar eine erhebliche Bedeutung für die Unterdrückung problematischer Distelpopulationen zu.

Notes: Abstract Carduus nutans L. is an invasive pasture/grassland species which may undergo rapid population growth through positive feedback. Plants ofC. nutans produce a vegetative rosette, and after several months produce stems containing flower-heads, during which time the rosette leaves die and decompose. We investigated the influence ofC. nutans on the nitrogen-fixation ability ofTrifolium repens L. in three experiments. The first experiment was set up in a “mixture” design, and demonstrated that seedlings ofT. repens were more susceptible to competition with otherT. repens seedlings than toC. nutans seedlings. Nodule numbers and acetylene reduction per unit root, and acetylene reduction per unit nodules were adversely affected by increasingT. repens, but notC. nutans densities. The second experiment was of an additive design, with separate partitions to isolate above-ground and below-ground interference. FloweringC. nutans plants strongly inhibitedT. repens root growth, nodulation and acetylene reduction, but usually only when shoot interference was permitted. This appears to be due to decomposition of rosette leaves, which was maximal at this stage. The third experiment involved monitoring effects of taggedC. nutans individuals againstT. repens in the field. This experiment showed that acetylene reduction was severely influenced by floweringC. nutans (when rosette leaves were decomposing), even when only mild reduction ofT. repens growth was observed, and these effects persisted for some months after theC. nutans plants had died. The results of these experiments in combination suggest that decomposing rosette leaves have a strong potential to inhibitT. repens nitrogen fixation. It appears that allelopathy is involved, since alternative explanations (e.g. root competition byC. nutans; effects ofC. nutans on soil moisture, microbial nutrient immobilisation and light availability; facilitation of herbivores byC. nutans) can be effectively discounted. Although invasive species are often assumed to be associated with soil nitrogen build-up, we believe that some invasive species such asC. nutans have the potential to induce long-term decline of soil nitrogen input.

Notes: Abstract An ongoing study initiated in August 1990 investigated the effects of disturbances (organic mulching, cultivation, herbicides) on the detritus food-web in annual (maize) and perennial (asparagus) cropping systems. In this paper we attempt to simultaneously assess the functional and taxonomic structure of various components of this food-web. Biota in the perennial system was the most responsive to disturbance. The microflora was strongly influenced by mulching, and through tritrophic effects caused increases in top predatory but not most microbe-feeding nematodes. These effects have become increasingly apparent as the study has progressed and, in the asparagus site, have worked their way down the soil profile over time. Cultivation in the asparagus site caused large increases in bacterial-feeding nematodes, probably due to the high weed levels which developed during the winter months under that treatment. Evidence appears to exist for a cascade effect operating due to top down effects of nematodes on lower trophic levels. Ordination analysis of the nematode data demonstrated that nematode populations were more closely related to the state of environmental factors at earlier samplings than at contemporary samplings, and that the linkages between the nematode and environmental data sets strengthened over time. For both the nematode and soil-associated beetle data distinct assemblages of organisms were found in the mulched plots; distinct assemblages of nematode genera also emerged in the cultivated asparagus plots after two years. The soil-associated macrofauna was usually linked to high weed and surface organic residue levels. Species diversity of soil associated nematodes was not particularly responsive to disturbance while that of the soil-associated beetles was strongly enhanced by mulching and (sometimes) high weed levels. Approaches based on either functional group or species composition data emerged in our study as reasonably sensitive indicators for assessing the response of the soil biota to disturbance.

Notes: Abstract The influence of osmotic effects of aqueous plant extracts on the results of allelopathy bioassays was investigated for four pasture grass species. It was found that allelopathic effects were substantially overestimated when osmotic effects were not taken into account. It is concluded that bioassays using aqueous plant extracts are more realistic when osmotically adjusted control values (with the same osmotic potential as the plant extract being tested) are used.

Notes: Abstract Various allelopathy bioassays were used to evaluate the allelopathic potential of 10 grassland forage species against a common test (phytometer) species,Carduus nutans L. Aqueous extracts did not influenceC. nutans germination, although radicle elongation was often severely inhibited.C. nutans was strongly affected by shoot, but not root, leachates. Decomposing ground tissue had mixed effects, and often stimulated shoot production ofC. nutans. Calculation ofR 2 (coefficient of determination) values between these results, and the results of previous experiments investigating the effects of the same 10 species onC. nutans emergence and development in field plots and glasshouse competition experiments frequently revealed strong, statistically significant relationships. Our results therefore provide correlative evidence for the importance of allelopathy in field conditions.