Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

Phytocenotic analysis of segetal flora as an indicator of agroecosystem stability under long-term herbicide application

Valeriy Tarasyuk, Olesia Horodyska, Olena Koberniuk
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Abstract

The study aimed to identify patterns in the restructuring of the segetal flora and changes in the functional stability of the cereal agrocenosis under the influence of various herbicide control systems. Methods of square plots, geobotanical description, biometric and weight measurements, morphological and biological grouping, vegetation testing, soil chemical analysis, plot-by-plot yield recording and analysis of variance were used. The study determined that in the control plot, the total number of species was 24, the number of families was 10, the average number of species per 1 m2 was 8.6, and the number of dicotyledonous species was 17. Under the integrated system, these figures were 22, 9, 7.8 and 16, respectively, i.e., they remained closer to the control values. The Shannon index ranged from 2.42 in the control to 1.31 following prolonged application of the acetolactate synthase inhibitor, whilst under the integrated system it was 2.28. The cover of the dominant species increased to 36.7%, whilst the number of rare species decreased to 1, indicating increased dominance and a narrowing of the community’s reserve pool. Quantitative indicators also changed significantly: weed density decreased from 128 to 36 plants/m2, fresh weight from 486 to 142 g/m2, dry weight from 148 to 47 g/m2, and projective cover from 62 to 18%. With prolonged application of the acetolactate synthase inhibitor, the Morishita aggregation index reached 1.74, the number of herbicide-tolerant species was 8, the average root depth of the dominant species was 24.8 cm, and the weight of 1,000 seeds was 2.76 g. Functional indicators confirmed this pattern: the density of the soil seed bank decreased from 42.8 to 21.7 thousand seeds/m2, nitrogen removal by weeds decreased from 31.5 to 9.6 kg/ha, and crop yield losses decreased from 27.4 to 6.9%. Practical significance of the study lay in the fact that its results can be used by agronomists, researchers and grain producers to select weed control systems that not only reduce weed infestation but also preserve the structural stability of the agroecosystem

Keywords

segmental flora; herbicides; dominant species; herbicide-tolerant species; agrocenosis; herbicide control systems; floristic structure

Suggested citation
Tarasyuk, V., Horodyska, O., & Koberniuk, O. (2026). Phytocenotic analysis of segetal flora as an indicator of agroecosystem stability under long-term herbicide application. Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, 22(3),177-198. https://doi.org/10.31548/dopovidi/3.2026.177
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