Dear Colleagues,

Weeds are one of the major agricultural problems worldwide. Weed species composition depends on the environment, which in turn is linked to crop and management practices (soil tillage, fertilizers, herbicides, crop rotation, cover crops, and other agricultural practices). In order to develop effective weed control strategies, the requirements for weed germination and seedling emergence need to be investigated. By identifying the environmental factors which positively or negatively affect weed seed germination, effective management strategies can be developed to reduce weed infestation and the soil seed bank. The seed bank is the reserve of viable seeds and vegetative propagules able to regenerate persistent weed infestation in the agroecosystem. Therefore, a high density of seeds in the soil seed bank can cause management difficulties for many years. Understanding seed ecology and weed seed bank dynamics is essential for effective weed management. 

This Special Issue aims to give prominence to the environmental factors affecting weed seed germination and seedling emergence and to promote discussion about this topic. The objective is to bring together papers that attempt to answer questions relating in particular to environmental factors influencing:

1. Weed seed dynamics.
2. Weed seed longevity.
3. Weed seed predation.
4. Weed seed bank.
5. Weed seed dormancy, germination, and emergence.
6. Weed seed response to agricultural practices.
7. Weed seed behaviour under particular environmental conditions (salinity, floods, droughts, extreme weather events, etc.).

Prof. Dr. Roberta Masin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Weed seed germination
• Weed seed dormancy
• Weed seedling emergence
• Soil and seeds interaction
• Weed ecology
• Weed seedbank
• Soil, weed seeds, and microorganism
• Agronomic practices and weed seeds