Wild Oat (Avena fatua) Interference in Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is Influenced by Barley Variety and Seeding Rate1

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted at Vegreville and Lacombe, AB, to determine the influence of barley (Hordeum vulgare) variety and seeding rate on interference of wild oat (Avena fatua) with barley. Barley variety and seeding rate affected barley density, height at maturity, and seed yield, as well as wild oat shoot dry weight and seed yield in most experiments, but there was no variety by seeding rate interaction. As expected, the semidwarf varieties Falcon and CDC Earl were the shortest. Barley seedling emergence and subsequent plant densities varied among varieties, locations, and years. The hull-less varieties Falcon and CDC Dawn had the poorest emergence in most cases, whereas AC Lacombe and Seebe had the highest emergence. Wild oat shoot dry matter and seed production was highest in the Falcon, CDC Dawn, and CDC Earl plots, suggesting that these were the least competitive with wild oat. Barley yield loss from wild oat interference also tended to be highest in these varieties. Poor emergence of Falcon and CDC Dawn and the shorter stature of Falcon and CDC Earl likely contributed to their relatively poor competitiveness with wild oat. Increasing the seeding rate improved the competitiveness of all varieties, as evidenced by reduced wild oat shoot dry matter and seed production and, in some cases, improved barley yields. Nomenclature: Wild oat, Avena fatua L. # AVEFA; barley, Hordeum vulgare L. ‘Falcon’, ‘Phoenix’, ‘AC Lacombe’, ‘Seebe’, ‘CDC Earl’, ‘Harrington’, ‘CDC Dawn’. Additional index words: Hull-less barley, semidwarf barley, wild oat competition.