Effect of nitrogen fertilizer and landscape position on wild oat (Avena fatua) interference in spring wheat

Site-specific fertilizer application is of primary interest among those investigating site-specific crop management. Site-specific soil moisture levels may be associated with the relative success of certain weed species, and weed competition can be affected by fertilizer application. A field study was conducted to investigate how landscape position-based site-specific nitrogen fertilizer application would influence wild oat interference in spring wheat. Wild oat was allowed to grow in spring wheat at foot and knoll landscape positions in the presence or absence of 80 to 90 kg ha(-1) of spring preseed broadcast nitrogen fertilizer. In all three site-years of the study, landscape position did not affect wild oat competitiveness in wheat or relative wild oat biomass, and there were no significant landscape position by nitrogen fertilizer interactions for these variables. The lack of landscape position effect may be attributed to the lack of substantive differences in soil characteristics between landscape positions at the sites used in this study and to normal to above-average seasonal precipitation levels in all three site-years. Wild oat competitiveness in wheat was significantly greater in the presence of nitrogen fertilizer for all three site-years. The results of this study suggest that, when there are not great differences in typical soil characteristics between landscape positions and precipitation levels are normal or above normal, landscape-based site-specific nitrogen fertilizer application does not affect wild oat competitiveness in spring wheat, but preseed spring broadcast nitrogen fertilizer does make wild oat more competitive in spring wheat.