Cover crops grown in the period between two main crops have potential as an important component of a system-oriented ecological weed management strategy. In late summer and autumn, the cover crop can suppress growth and seed production of weeds, whereas the incorporation of cover crop residues in spring may reduce or retard weed emergence. Based on these two criteria, six cover crop species were evaluated for their weed suppressive potential in 2 years of experimentation in the Netherlands. Fodder radish, winter oilseed rape and winter rye had the strongest competitive ability in autumn; the competitive strength of Italian ryegrass was intermediate and white lupin and lucerne were poor competitors. Competitiveness was strongly correlated to early light interception. Surprisingly, doubling the recommended sowing density did not increase weed suppressive ability. Although a poor competitor in the fall, after incorporation in spring, lucerne had the strongest inhibitory effect on seedling establishment, followed by winter oilseed rape and white lupin. Winter rye and fodder radish did not affect seedling establishment, whereas Italian ryegrass was not evaluated because of re-growth after incorporation. Competition in autumn and subsequent residue-mediated suppression of weed establishment in spring varied among the cover crop species, with winter oilseed rape offering relatively strong effects during both periods.
Although the neural and genetic pathways underlying learning and memory formation seem strikingly similar among species of distant animal phyla, several more subtle inter-and intraspecific differences become evident from studies on model organisms. The true significance of such variation can only be understood when integrating this with information on the ecological relevance. Here, we argue that parasitoid wasps provide an excellent opportunity for multi-disciplinary studies that integrate ultimate and proximate approaches. These insects display interspecific variation in learning rate and memory dynamics that reflects natural variation in a daunting foraging task that largely determines their fitness: finding the inconspicuous hosts to which they will assign their offspring to develop. We review bioassays used for oviposition learning, the ecological factors that are considered to underlie the observed differences in learning rate and memory dynamics, and the opportunities for convergence of ecology and neuroscience that are offered by using parasitoid wasps as model species. We advocate that variation in learning and memory traits has evolved to suit an insect's lifestyle within its ecological niche.
Although residue management seems a key factor in residue-mediated weed suppression, very few studies have systematically compared the influence of different residue management strategies on the establishment of crop and weed species. We evaluated the effect of several methods of pre-treatment and placement of winter rye (Secale cereale L.) and winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) residue on seedling emergence under field conditions. For both species two cultivars, differing in allelochemical content, were used. Residues incorporated in the upper soil layer exerted a large inhibitory effect on the establishment of the relatively early emerging lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) seedlings, whereas the inhibitory effect on the slightly later emerging Stellaria media L. seedlings was variable, and often a stimulatory effect on the very late emerging Chenopodium album L. seedlings was observed. Differences between cover crop cultivars were minor. For winter oilseed rape residue, pre-treatment strongly affected the time-course of residue-mediated effects. Finely ground residues were only inhibitory to seedling establishment during the first two to three weeks, whereas cut residues became inhibitory after this period. For winter rye, residue placement was most important. Residue incorporation gave variable results, whereas placement of winter rye residue on top of the soil inhibited the emergence of all receptor species. In conclusion, the optimal residue management strategy for weed suppression depends both on the cover crop species used and the target weed species.
Animals can store learned information in their brains through a series of distinct memory forms. Short-lasting memory forms can be followed by longer-lasting, consolidated memory forms. However, the factors determining variation in memory consolidation encountered in nature have thus far not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that two parasitic wasp species belonging to different families, Cotesia glomerata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Trichogramma evanescens (Hymenoptera; Trichogrammatidae), similarly adjust the memory form they consolidate to a fitness-determining reward: egg-laying into a host-insect that serves as food for their offspring. Protein synthesis-dependent long-term memory (LTM) was consolidated after single-trial conditioning with a high-value host. However, single-trial conditioning with a low-value host induced consolidation of a shorter-lasting memory form. For Cotesia glomerata, we subsequently identified this shorter-lasting memory form as anesthesia-resistant memory (ARM) because it was not sensitive to protein synthesis inhibitors or anesthesia. Associative conditioning using a single reward of different value thus induced a physiologically different mechanism of memory formation in this species. We conclude that the memory form that is consolidated does not only change in response to relatively large differences in conditioning, such as the number and type of conditioning trials, but is also sensitive to more subtle differences, such as reward value. Reward-dependent consolidation of exclusive ARM or LTM provides excellent opportunities for within-species comparison of mechanisms underlying memory consolidation.
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