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Weed Survival in Yard Waste Mulch

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Oleg Daugovish,
James Downer,
Ben Faber and
Milton McGiffen
Oleg Daugovish*
Affiliation:
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, CA, 93003
James Downer
Affiliation:
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, CA, 93003
Ben Faber
Affiliation:
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, CA, 93003
Milton McGiffen
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0124
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: odaugovish@ucdavis.edu
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Abstract

Field studies were conducted near Oxnard, CA, to assess propagule survivability of two annual and two perennial weed species in 7.6 m3 static piles of fresh or aged yard waste mulch over a 56 d period. Mulch temperatures > 60 C generated at depths > 30 cm in fresh mulch caused all weed propagule mortality, whereas sublethal temperatures at shallower depths in fresh, and at all depths in aged piles allowed propagule survival. A controlled environment laboratory experiment suggested ≥ 1 d exposure provides 100% mortality of seed of little mallow at 72 C, California burclover seed (without burs) at 85 C, rhizomes of bermudagrass at 69 C, and nutlets of yellow nutsedge at 70 C. These studies indicate that reinfested, aged mulch does not produce sufficient heat to destroy weed propagules and, therefore, may become a weed-carrying substrate. Fresh mulch should be mixed to expose surviving weed propagules at shallow depths to lethal temperatures found at 30 cm or deeper in fresh mulch piles.

Keywords

Bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. CYNDACalifornia burclover, Medicago polymorpha L. MEDPOlittle mallow, Malva parviflora L. MALPAyellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus L. CYPESCompost temperatureweed propagule mortality

Information

Type
Research
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , March 2007, pp. 59 - 65
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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References

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