The response of four spring-sown combinable arable crops to weed competition.

The response of four spring-sown combinable arable crops [Pisum sativum (peas), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Vicia faba (beans), Brassica napus (oilseed rape)] to competition from cultivated oats (Avena sativa), mimicking wild-oats (Avena fatua), was studied in three field experiments (1989-91). Reductions in crop growth and yield per oat plant m-2 were calculated from regressions of weight (yield) against oat numbers. Competitive effects from the oats were greatest in 1991, the year with the highest rainfall. The oats had least effect on the barley and rape (yield loss per oat plant m-2 =0-2.3%), and most effect on the peas and beans (0.34-7.18%). Samples harvested during the summer showed how the crops' responses to competition from oats changed as they matured. Data was also collected on the effects of the crops on the oats. The results are discussed in relation to the development of threshold-based systems of weed management.