Study on the Spread, Biomass Production, and Nutrient Content of Ragweed with High-Precision GNSS and GIS Device System

Abstract

One of the important issues in agroenvironmental protection today is the pollen emission of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.). A decrease in pollen emission can only be achieved if we have adequate knowledge of ragweed's biology, its spread, and the dynamic processes of the population. The damage this weed affords is important from both a human health and plant protection point of view. Winter wheat is an important crop in Hungary, being seeded on approximately 1.2–1.3 million ha annually. The present research investigates the spread of ragweed in cereal stubble fields, its nutrient content, and its water uptake. Three weeks after the harvest of winter wheat, A. artemisiifolia was present in the area in high density. Young ragweed plants absorbed the most potassium and nitrogen. Average potassium and nitrogen contents were 6.0 and 5.8 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. Phosphorus content was 1.1 kg ha⁻¹, and A. artemisiifolia also absorbed a significant quantity of calcium. Average calcium content was 3.85 kg ha⁻¹.

Keywords:

• Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.
• GIS and GNSS technology
• nutrient content
• plant density
• wheat stubble

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by TÁMOP-4.2.2-08/2008-0018 (“Liveable Environment and Healthier People: Bioinnovation and Green Technology Research at the University of Pannonia”). The project is cofinanced by the European Social Fund with the support of the European Union.