Weed Flora in Organic Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris L.)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine weed flora occurring in an organic common mallow (Malva sylvestris L.), a newly established crop at the experimental field Bački Petrovac, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, during the growing season of 2014. The weed flora consisted of six species, with even a half being invasive for Vojvodina region (Sorghum halepense, Amaranthus retroflexus, Datura stramonium). The observed low floristic diversity may be related to unbalanced ecological conditions in a newly established crop, invasive species, comparatively low fertilization, allelopathic relations, and possibly robust habitus of the main crop. However, although the flora was low in diversity, both narrow and broadleaf species were represented, with the average infestation as high as 16 individuals per m2. In addition, since the recorded weeds flower from Mart to November, until the development of more efficient methods that are in compliance with the principles of organic agriculture, mechanical weeding should be performed at least three times during the growing season. To our knowledge, this is the first such report on organic common mallow in agro ecological conditions of Serbian province Vojvodina and represents the first step in establishing the adequate weed control measures.