Dynamics of competition between wild oats (Avena fatua L.) and winter cereals

This study examined the effects of competition on the growth of Avena fatua, winter wheat and winter barley. Plants were sampled at frequent intervals from replacement series experiments at two contrasting sites in the U.K. A. fatua was much slower to establish than the two cereals, but thereafter exhibited a faster rate of growth. In monoculture, it took a considerable time for A. fatua to reach a size equal to that of the cereals, but by the end of the experiments it was the largest of the three species. The change-over from cereal dominance in mixtures to A. fatua dominance was rapid, and in three cases coincided with cereal flag leaf emergence. In the fourth case, it appeared to coincide with the start of canopy height extension. At one site the order of competitiveness at anthesis was A. fatua = barley > wheat, and at the other site the order was A. fatua > wheat > barley. In order to explain and predict differences between years and sites, more studies are required on morphological development in relation to abiotic variables.