Effect of narrow‐leaved hawk's‐beard ( Crepis tectorum L.) on yield and quality of lucerne hay and seed yield of creeping red fescue

• Published in: Weed Research
• Main Authors: PESCHKEN, D. P., DARWENT, A. L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1988
• Subjects: British Columbia; Canada; Peace River
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.1988.tb00797.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-3180.1988.tb00797.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-3180.1988.tb00797.x

Summary Narrow‐leaved hawk's‐beard ( Crevis tectorum L.) occurs in all provinces of Canada, but is particularly abundant in the northern portions of the agricultural regions of the three prairie provinces and British Columbia. The losses in yield in terms of quantity and quality due to narrow‐leaved hawk's‐beard were investigated in fields of lucerne ( Medicago sativa L.) used in the dehydration industry and in experimental plots. The effect of hawk's‐beard on creeping red fescue ( Festuca rubra L.) seed yield in the Peace River Region of British Columbia was also investigated. In the lucerne, the average percentage of hawk's‐beard in the total biomass over the 3 years of the study was only 2⋅5%, with a minimum of 1⋅2% in one year and a maximum of 5⋅5% in another year. In the lucerne vs hawk's‐beard plots, yields on plots free of hawk's‐beard were not significantly higher than on those with hawks'‐beard. Although excellent control was achieved in creeping red fescue ( Festuca rubra L.) by the use of the herbicide 2, 4‐DB, yields of seed were not significantly increased. Therefore, narrow‐leaved hawk's‐beard seems to be an excellent colonizer but a weak competitor and contributed little to crop losses in lucerne and creeping red fescue.