A field experiment was conducted in Urbana, IL, from 1997 to 2000 to evaluate the effect that crop, tillage, and soil depth have on common waterhemp seed-bank persistence. A heavy field infestation of common waterhemp (approximately 410 plants m−2) was allowed to set seed in 1996 and was not allowed to go to seed after 1996. In 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000, the percentage of the original common waterhemp seed bank that remained was 39, 28, 10, and 0.004%, respectively, averaged over tillage treatments. Initially, germination and emergence of common waterhemp was greater in no-till systems. Consequently, the number of remaining seeds was greater in the till treatments compared with no-till in the top 0 to 6 cm of the soil profile. This reduction was in part explained by the higher germination and emergence of common waterhemp in the no-tillage treatments. Tillage increased the seed-bank persistence of common waterhemp in the top 0 to 2 cm of the soil profile in 1997 and the top 0 to 6 cm in 1998. Crop had no effect on common waterhemp emergence or seed-bank persistence. In 2001, > 10% of the seed germinated that was buried 6 to 20 cm deep compared with 3% for seed 0 to 2 cm deep.
Nomenclature: Common waterhemp, Amaranthus rudis Sauer AMATA
