Barley competitive ability in coexistence with black oat or wild radish

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the relative competitive ability of barley crop with the weed species of black oat or radish. Three experiments were conducted under greenhouse at UFPel in a completely randomized design, with four replications, and treatments arranged in a replacement series. The proportions of barley plants and competitors of black oat or wild radish were: 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100, always with a total population of 578 and 770 plants m^-2 for black oat and wild radish, respectively. The variables evaluated were plant height; leaf area and shoot dry mass. Statisti­cal analysis was performed by applied diagrams to the replacement series and interpretations of com­petitiveness indices. Barley has superior competitive ability to radish but below the oat. For barley, the interspecific competition with oat is more harmful, while in competition with wild radish has independ­ent if competitor is own crop or weed.