An ecological future for weed science to sustain crop production and the environment. A review

Sustainable strategies for managing weeds are critical to meeting agriculture's potential to feed the world's population while conserving the ecosystems and biodiversity on which we depend. The dominant paradigm of weed management in developed countries is currently founded on the two principal tools of herbicides and tillage to remove weeds. However, evidence of negative environmental impacts from both tools is growing, and herbicide resistance is increasingly prevalent. These challenges emerge from a lack of attention to how weeds interact with and are regulated by the agroecosystem as a whole. Novel technological tools proposed for weed control, such as new herbicides, gene editing, and seed destructors, do not address these systemic challenges and thus are unlikely to provide truly sustainable solutions. Combining multiple tools and techniques in an Integrated Weed Management strategy is a step forward, but many integrated strategies still remain overly reliant on too few tools. In contrast, advances in weed ecology are revealing a wealth of options to manage weedsat the agroecosystem levelthat, rather than aiming to eradicate weeds, act to regulate populations to limit their negative impacts while conserving diversity. Here, we review the current state of knowledge in weed ecology and identify how this can be translated into practical weed management. The major points are the following: (1) the diversity and type of crops, management actions and limiting resources can be manipulated to limit weed competitiveness while promoting weed diversity; (2) in contrast to technological tools, ecological approaches to weed management tend to be synergistic with other agroecosystem functions; and (3) there are many existing practices compatible with this approach that could be integrated into current systems, alongside new options to explore. Overall, this review demonstrates that integrating systems-level ecological thinking into agronomic decision-making offers the best route to achieving sustainable weed management

Monitoring the fluvial palynomorph load in a lowland temperate catchment and its relationship to suspended sediment and discharge

Despite it being a component of the seston we know very little about fluvial (waterborne) pollen and spore (palynomorph) transport. This paper presents the results of a monitoring programme conducted over two years and at a catchment scale in South West England. A hierarchical monitoring network was established with flood peak samples taken at 9 sub-catchments, intra-hydrograph samples taken in two sub-catchments and time-integrated sampling undertaken at one location. In addition sampling was undertaken of probable palynomorph sources such as channel bed and bank sediments, and the airborne pollen flux was monitored using modified Tauber traps. The results support previous research in illustrating how the vast majority of fluvial pollen and spores are transported during floods (91%) and that the main control on waterborne palynomorph assemblages is the catchment vegetation and its spatial distribution but with a long-distance (extra-catchment) component. However, strong seasonal effects are also shown, and the importance of distinctive sources such as the riparian input, bed re-suspension and overland flow into drains and tributaries is revealed. Fine sediment in river pools appears to act as a selective store of damaged cereal type pollen grains derived from arable fields. Although pollen does form part of composite particles the data presented here suggest that the majority of the pollen is transported as single grains. Fluvial palynomorph loading is strongly dependant upon discharge and so concentrations in laminated or varved sediments could be regarded as a proxy for flood magnitude

Monitoring fluvial pollen transport, its relationship to catchment vegetation and implications for palaeoenvironmental studies

Despite being the most important source of pollen and spore input into most lakes and near-shore marine sediments, we know very little about fluvial (waterborne) pollen and spore transport. This paper presents the results of a dedicated monitoring programme conducted over 2 years and at a catchment scale in South West England. The land use of the nine sub-catchments monitored was determined using Landsat Thematic Data. At two stations, pollen and spore sampling through storm hydrographs was undertaken whilst at the other 7 sub-catchments only peak flow samples were collected. Samples were also collected from re-suspended bed material, riverbanks and at low flows. Airborne pollen flux was monitored using modified Tauber traps. The results support previous research illustrating how the vast majority of fluvial pollen and spores are transported during floods (in this case 91%) and that the main control on waterborne pollen and spore assemblages is the catchment vegetation. However, strong seasonal effects are shown as well as the importance of distinctive sources, such as the riparian input, bed re-suspension and overland flow into drains and tributaries. Fine sediment in river pools appears to act as a selective store of damaged cereal-type pollen grains in arable catchments and this can reduce the inherent underestimate of arable land from pollen diagrams with a high fluvial input and increase the visibility of early agriculture. In order to simulate the likely result of a flood-dominated influx to a small lake scenario, modelling was undertaken whereby different sub-catchments were substituted in order to represent changes in catchment vegetation under a constant hydrological regime. The results show the dampened response of land use groups to catchment land use change, and the frequent occurrence of anomalous single-level peaks due to seasonal flushes from specific near-stream vegetation types. Both these features are commonly seen in lake pollen diagrams. Fluvial pollen and spore loading is dependant upon discharge and so concentrations in laminated or varved sediments could be regarded as a proxy for flood magnitude. The implications for this study on the interpretation of lake and near-shore marine pollen and spore diagrams are discussed and it is argued that a more quantitative approach to waterborne pollen could improve the estimation of land use from lakes in the temperate zone