Author(s): P. Adhikary and R. K. Ghosh

Abstract: An important part of crop weed ecology is the weed seed bank as it is the most important source of annual weeds in cropping systems are establishing each year from seeds and therefore represents a significant point in the weed life cycle for control. Because of such germination-delaying factors as the dormancy-non dormancy continuum, seeds of annual species can persist in soil for years, resulting in a reservoir of viable seeds of various ages from which future generations develop (Albrechta and Auerswald, 2009). Understanding the dynamics of weed seed banks is an essential first step in improving weed management plans. By understanding how long seeds remain viable in the seed bank and how those seeds are related to the aboveground weed community, a producer could tailor weed management programs to increase efficiency and efficacy. A package of practice of crop cultivation is to manage weeds toward lowering their total numbers and the numbers of seeds deposited in the soil seed bank (Lamour and Lambertus, 2007). Management practices also alter distribution of weed seeds vertically within the soil profile (Buhler, 1995), which can affect loss of seeds from the seed bank by influencing seed germination, decay, and herbivory. Weed management practices such as hand weeding, mechanical weeding (wheel hoeing), herbicides use and inter row cultivation influencing weed seed density and distribution in the crop field.....

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