Knowledge of the ecology of soil seed banks (SSB) contributes to improving integrated weed SSB management systems in croplands established in natural grassland areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cropping systems, established in a natural grassland field (Depressão Central of Rio Grande do Sul, 30º05'S, 51º40'O, altude 46m, rainfall 1398mm), on the SSB. Three different tillage-crop rotation systems were imposed (no-tillage - NT, reduced tillage - RT, and conventional tillage - CT) in three plots arranged in seven blocks. Two SSB evaluations were carried out in each tillage system, one in May and the other in October/2002. The SSB was evaluated by sampling soil cores, which were germinated in a glasshouse, and seedlings were counted and identified. Edaphic variables were registered to relate with collected data. The results indicated that different tillage systems affected the SSB composition, and that certain species responded differently to these influences. The NT system resulted in higher BSS wealth, a lower number of Brachiaria plantaginea seeds, a higher number of Sida rhombifolia seeds, but inverse values were recorded for RT and CT systems. The spatial soil seed bank distribution presented high heterogeneity among cropping systems. Edaphic variables, specially organic matter, pH and phosphorous, showed associations with the variation in SSB composition. In spite of these findings, long-term studies are necessary to reveal the temporal dynamics of the soil seed bank on the cropping system conditions of the Central Lowland region in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
restoration ecology; weed; spontaneous plants; natural seeding; buried seeds
