Native and not-native weeds in globe artichoke fields under diverse cropping systems in Sardinia (Italy)

Acknowledgements This study was conducted in the framework of two projects funded by the Sardinian Regional Authority, i.e. the project POR FESR Sardegna 2014 – 2020 - “MARS - Multiple Airdrones Response System” and the project “CarBio - Carciofo Biologico:

innovazione e sostenibilità di filiera”.

Native and not-native weeds in globe artichoke fields under diverse cropping systems in Sardinia (Italy)

Vanessa Lozano, Giuseppe Brundu, Maria Teresa Tiloca, Luigi Ledda

Dipartimento di Agraria, Università di Sassari, Viale Italia 39 - 07100 Sassari

BACKGROUND

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Study area

Sardinian globe artichoke fields

Summer season Winter season Spring season

To estimate weed cover in the Sardinian globe artichoke fields , we established a network of 1x1 m control plots, GPS located, between the artichoke’s

rows, with a total of 12 plots per each field.

Geographic gradient

• Macro-areas where globe artichoke cultivation represents the most important and economically relevant open field horticultural crop.

Management systems evaluated : a) conventional cultivation, b) improved cultivation (in which was introduced no synthetic fertilizer supply and a short cycle of Phaseolus vulgaris as cover crop) and c) organic system (characterized by no synthetic fertilizer supply and an inter-row cover crop of Pisum sativum) (see Deligios et al. 2017).

Management systems evaluated : a) conventional cultivation, b) improved cultivation (in which was introduced no synthetic fertilizer supply and a short cycle of Phaseolus vulgaris as cover crop) and c) organic system (characterized by no synthetic fertilizer supply and an inter-row cover crop of Pisum sativum) (see Deligios et al. 2017).

• Assessment of species coverage in each globe artichoke field.

The presence / absence and cover degree of all weeds was evaluated as a result of weed management changes in globe artichoke cropping systems along a geographic and seasonal gradient in the island of Sardinia (Italy)

The presence / absence and cover degree of all weeds was evaluated as a result of weed management changes in globe artichoke cropping systems along a geographic and seasonal gradient in the island of Sardinia (Italy)

• Neophytes species vs. archaeophytes species

Species identification and ecological characteristics.

Species identification and ecological characteristics.

Portulaca oleracea s.l.

Oxalis pes-caprae

Native and non-native weeds pose globally an important economic threat to crop production in agricultural areas as they compete for space, light, water and nutrients from the soil. The rate between native and non-native weeds in agricultural cropping systems has been only scarcely studied as the weed flora is more frequently considered as a single unit. Agricultural areas can be sites of introduction of new alien species, therefore worth to be periodically monitored or they could act as reservoirs of alien species that can invade also adjacent semi-natural to natural areas, thus specific management plans are to be put in place. The aim was to assess the native and non-native weed flora of Sardinian globe artichoke fields, under different management types.

METHODOLOGY

Checklist of the native and not-native weed species of globe artichoke

The evaluation of weed flora diversity as a result of weed management changes in globe artichoke cropping systems allow to identify Oxalis pes- caprae as one of the most abundant alien species in the fields during the late winter – early spring season, in spite of the many attempts to control its spread.

The data collected highlighted differences among cropping systems which suggests the possibility of identifying strategies for the management of native and non-native weeds in Cynara fields. The transition from intensive crop systems to more sustainable or organic systems reduces the frequency of neophytes and promote the presence or archaeophytes and native weeds.

Seasonal gradient FINAL REMARKS

Seasonal and geographical differences of the coverage of native and non-native weeds

Fig. 1 Study area. In the left, map of Italy showing the second largest island called Sardinia. In the right, the Sardinian Region showing the five fields selected as study area.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Hypochaeris sp.

Rumex sp.

Composita sp.

Convolvolus arvensis Senecio sp.

Glebionis coronaria Raphanus sativus Sonchus oleraceus Papaver rhoeas Fumaria sp.

Avena fatua Cerastium glomeratum Veronica cymbalaria Capsella bursa-pastoris Calendula arvensis Stellaria media Oxalis pes-caprae (*5)

Average presence of species in the field (%)

Fig. 2 Coverage of species in globe artichoke field of

species in winter. Fig. 3 Sum of coverage of all species in

globe artichoke field of species in winter season in each management system evaluated.

References

Bartolucci, F., et al. (2018). An updated checklist of the vascular flora native to Italy. Plant Biosystems- An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, 152(2), 179-303.

Deligios, P.A., et al. (2017). Stable nutrient flows in sustainable and alternative cropping systems of globe artichoke. Agronomy for sustainable development, 37(6), 54.

Galasso, G., et al. (2018). An updated checklist of the vascular flora alien to Italy. Plant Biosystems-An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, 152(3), 556-592.

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Conventional Alternative monoculture Biannual rotation Biannual rotation

Species presence (sum of coverage %)

Management systems

Cerastium glomeratum Papaver rhoeas

Veronica cymbalaria Capsella bursa-pastoris Stellaria media

Sonchus oleraceus Senecio sp.

Rumex sp.

Raphanus sativus Hypochaeris sp.

Glebionis coronaria Fumaria sp.

Convolvolus arvensis Composita sp.

Calendula arvensis Avena fatua

Oxalis pes-caprae

Species Family Introduction

history Status in Italy Native range Life form

Avena fatua Poaceae Archaeophyte Non-native/Nat Central Asia A

Calendula arvensis Asteraceae Native Europe and N. Africa A

Capsella bursa-pastoris Brassicaceae Native Europe A

Cerastium glomeratum Caryophyllaceae Native Europe to E. Asia A

Convolvulus arvensis Convolvulaceae Native Eurasia P

Fumaria sp.pl. Papaveraceae Archaeophyte Non-native/Nat Eurasia

Glebionis coronaria Asteraceae Archaeophyte Non-native/Nat Mediterranean A

Oxalis pes-caprae Oxalidaceae Neophyte Non-native/Inv S Africa P

Papaver rhoeas Papaveraceae Cryptogenic Doubtful Non-native Eurasia A

Raphanus sativus Brassicaceae Archaeophyte Non-native/Nat Eurasia A

Senecio vulgaris Asteraceae Native Europe A

Sonchus oleraceus Asteraceae Native Europe A

Stellaria media Caryophyllaceae Native Europe A

Veronica cymbalaria Plantaginaceae Native Mediterranean A

Table 1 The table shows an extract of the checklist of the native and not-native weed species in the artichoke fields in Sardinia. Cas=casual, Nat=naturalized, Inv=invasive.

Status from: http://dryades.units.it/floritaly/index.php