Wild Oat (Avena fatua) Competition with Spring Wheat: Plant Density Effects

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted to measure the grain yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘ANZA’) at various wild oat (Avena fatua L. ♯ AVEFA) and wheat plant densities. Wheat yield declined as wild oat plant density increased. Wheat yield increased in wild oat-infested plots as wheat plant density increased. Regression models were developed to describe the combined effect of wheat and wild oat plant densities on wheat grain yield. Wheat yields were best described by a nonlinear regression model using the relative density of wild oat in the weed-crop stand as the dependent variable. Inclusion of crop stand as a competitive factor significantly improved the fit of all regression models tested. Wild oat were more competitive against wheat in these experiments than in experiments reported by others. Possible reasons for differences in observed competitiveness are discussed.