Relationships between soil characteristics and weeds

Information technologies, such as the global positioning system and geographic information system, provide new opportunities for improving the efficiency of weed management, thereby resulting in a reduction in financial and environmental costs. Thus, an evaluation of data of systematic weed surveys carried out repeatedly at locations identified by geographical coordinates allows the establishment of relationships between weed associations and soil properties. Our quantitative survey targeted a 53-ha agricultural field at Baracska, Hungary, with a total of 122 sampling sites. Soil properties (pH, texture, organic carbon, humus, and macro- and microelement contents [altogether 24 parameters]) were determined and weeds (frequency and density for 27 species) were recorded at the sampling sites. A distinct negative association between the crop yield (tightly linked to levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers in the soil) and the total weed density at the sampling sites was demonstrated by principal component analysis of our data, indicating a good management of the project area that successfully increased the crop plant's competitiveness with weeds.