The effects of fertiliser and lime on the competitive interactions ofRumex acetosellal. withTrifolium repenL. andLoliumsp.

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Abstract
Rumex acetosella, Trifolium repens, and Lolium sp. were grown in monoculture and mixture in a 3 × 3 arrangement of fertiliser and lime application to potted soil. Competition between the species described by the de Wit (1960) model of plant competition indicated that R. ace-tosella was least suppressed by either Lolium or T. repens on unlimed and infertile soil. Competition indices showed that the yields of mixtures of both R. acetosella and Lolium with T. repens on infertile soil were increased relative to the yields of the respective monocultures. and this effect was especially marked for the T. repens-R. acetosella mixture on unlimed infertile soil. The pH of soil derived from the experiment was higher after growth of R. acetosella than after growth of the other species. Also, residual yields of R. acetosella, Lolium, and T. repens grown in the soil after harvest of the first experiment indicated for R. acetosella and Lolium greater yields following T. repens. Also for the monocultures the residual yield of R. acetosella following . acetosella was less than that following either T. repens or Lotium, this effect being especially marked where lime was applied. Further results from a field experiment examine the effects of cultivation, liming, and N, P, and K fertilisers on the occurrence of R. acetosella in swards including Lolium sp., T. repens, Agrostis tenuis, and Chenopodium album as dominants. The results demonstrate that the proportion of R. acetosella in swards can be reduced by applications of fertiliser and lime at rates determined by the nutrient requirements of the desired crop.