Assessment of distribution and diversity of Avena sterilis L. and Avena fatua L. in cereal crops of Greece based on a 3-year survey and selected morphological traits

Abstract

Under the view of species genetic erosion and the need of better crops, wild species could become important germplasm sources for breeding. At present, several wild Avena species are used as donors of valuable characters in oat breeding. In this study, wild oat distribution and diversity in wheat, barley and oat fields of Greece was examined by means of a 3-year survey in some typical cereal producing regions in the central part of the country. Greenhouse experiments were also conducted in order to compare seedlings grown from wild oat accessions of these regions under the same conditions. A total of 151 fields were surveyed and 158 accessions of wild oats were studied in terms of some morphological traits. The occurrence and distribution of A. sterilis was very high, while a noticeable and first-time analytically reported presence of A. fatua was evident in some of the surveyed wheat fields. The high diversity of wild oat was furthermore indicated by means of the pot experiments. The high degree of phenotypic variation in A. sterilis could be attributed to the earlier introduction of this species in the sampling area, compared to A. fatua. Wild oat distribution and diversity in a region seems crucial for the cereal production and is an important parameter which must be considered in evaluating efficacy of weed control strategies, while genes controlling these characters could be potentially used to improve cultivated forms of oats or other cereals.

Invasiveness of Cut-Leaf Ground-Cherry (Physalis angulata L.) Populations and Impact of Soil Water and Nutrient Availability

“…Indeed, cut-leaf ground-cherry populations originating from the Monastiraki and Vonitsa regions had a significantly higher growth and seed production than the others, while there was a noticeable phenotypic variation among plants belonging to these populations (data not shown). This high variability observed among morphological characters of these populations is probably due to an earlier introduction of the species in these particular regions; it is common not only in P. angulata (Menzel, 1951;Reddy et al, 1999) but also among several weeds and other invasive plants (Travlos and Giannopolitis, 2010). Phenotypic plasticity and better local adaptability allow many alien, invasive species to be highly invasive under variable environmental conditions (Richards et al, 2006).…”

Weed-Species Abundance and Diversity Indices in Relation to Tillage Systems and Fertilization

“…However, individuals of weed species are often difficult to be distinguished, especially in early growth stages. In addition, age, growth stage, biotype or environment may affect the morphological appearance or at least particular morphological traits of the same weed species (Booth et al, 2010;Travlos and Giannopolitis, 2010;Travlos, I. S., 2013). Consequently, in many cases it is preferable to use frequency and density measurements in uniform size vegetation in order to avoid underestimation of individuals' abundance.…”

Non-target Site Tolerance Mechanisms Describe Tolerance to Glyphosate in Avena sterilis

“…A. fatua is typical of temperate regions of northwestern Europe, North America, South America (Argentina and Uruguay), Australia, and South Africa. The subspecies of A. sterilis have been mostly established in Mediterranean climate regions, such as southern Europe, and North Africa (Travlos and Giannopolitis, 2010 ).…”