Director Christine Shaw
This title may seem a paradox under this heading! Students need to be aware that different headings are appropriate to locate the same topic under several area, such as on-going studies (Core Reasearch: Arable Plant Communities), actual results, under Arable Weed Communities and this introduction to the weed community as an initial state for a chosen site.
A good perspective on the difference between modern experience and the likely circumstances in the Iron Age may be gleaned from the Landscape Architect's standard "trap" question: "What is the predominant colour of the agricultural scene?" The casual, unthinking reply is usually, "Green". Wrong!
For most of the season, in arable areas, the prevailing colour is brown, in various shades, including ripening crops.
This is almost entirely due to the modern practice of near total suppression of non-crop plants. Such techniques as are now used were not available to earlier farmers.
On the other hand, visitors to the Butser site frequently enquire, "What's that you're growing?" "Weeds!" Between times and even during crop growing, depending on the particular management scheme for any one trial plot, there is a vigorous community of plants in the research plots.
In the sections Ploughing and Hoeing, under Controlled Factors, such efforts as are made to suppress weeds are discussed, in context, in a measure of detail. It is pointed out when the most important time to suppress weeds may be BUT it has to be understood that the community of non-crop plants is never displaced, little modified, if at all, and bursting to re-establish itself the moment any management ceases.
The weed community varies from place to place and may be more or less pernicious in competing with any chosen crop.
Return to Uncontrolled Factors
Created 01 August 2001 - Updated 21 January 2002