AN ANALYSIS OF COMPETITION BETWEEN BARLEY AND WHITE PERSICARIA: I. THE EFFECTS ON GROWTH

Abstract

Barley and white persicaria ( Polygonum lapathifolium L.) were grown in pure and mixed populations of varying density in sand culture in a glasshouse. The leaf areas and dry weights of leaves, stems and roots were determined at intervals. During the phase of vegetative growth the addition of dry matter by barley was unaffected, although tillering was reduced, by competition from dense stands of white persicaria, whereas the growth of white persicaria was reduced by low densities of barley. The decline in leaf area and reduction in root growth of barley with the onset of flowering was accompanied by increased growth of white persicaria with the production of branches from the upper axillary buds. These flowered and set abundant seed. This behaviour probably accounts for the persistence of this weed in arable rotations. The greater competitive ability of barley may be attributed to its larger embryo, giving much larger plants at emergence. The intrinsic relative growth rate of white persicaria is as high as, or higher than, that of barley and falls more slowly with time. This advantage is not sufficient to offset the initial differences in size while barley is vegetative. The larger embryo size of barley also determines the more intense competition that exists between plants of this species than between plants of white persicaria at similar densities and times from germination. With equal weights of produce per pot (or unit area) the intensity of competition within each species appears to be similar. It is emphasized that the course of growth with time, rather than weight‐density relationships at given points of time, must be followed in order to understand the influence of density. Two functions of the relative growth rate with time are examined.