Monitoring Patch Expansion Amends to Evaluate the Effects of Non-Chemical Control on the Creeping Perennial Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. in a Spring Wheat Crop

The creeping perennial weed species Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. occurs in patches. Expanding roots allow these patches to increase their covered area. This characteristic has rarely been addressed when investigating the effects of control options arable fields. We designed a three-year field experiment (2019–2021) north-eastern Germany, accounting for existing patch patterns. experimental setup included an untreated control, competition treatment (cover crop, CC), two disturbance treatments by mouldboard ploughing (PL), root cutting (RC), and four combined applications (RC + CC, PL RC, RC CC). Root was performed prototype tillage machine produced “Kverneland”. Plots were defined growth pattern mapped GPS UAV. investigates thistle response variables: “Expansion”, “Density”, “Coverage”, “Height”. Treatments including (PL, CC) reduced “Density” factor 0.15 “Expansion” 0.25, while those without (CC, only 0.68 0.71. Adding cuttings or cover crops did not further reduction effect ploughing. with impacted more clearly than “Density”. When almost additively reduced, resulting comparable that “Height” shoots significantly “Coverage” change significantly. UAV monitoring proved be accurate enough but within patch. results this study demand innovative research controlling patch-forming weeds. need will limit small-scale set ups.