Redroot pigweed is a vigorous annual weed that grows in some soybean fields.
Describe how you could estimate the total population of redroot pigweed plants in a field.
In soybean fields, redroot pigweed plants can grow up to a height of 2.1 m and rapidly absorb large quantities of nutrients and water from the soil. This has a highly negative effect on the growth of the soybean plants.
Use the information provided to explain why. In your answer, name the type of competition occurring between redroot pigweed plants and soybean plants.
The table below gives some biological features of redroot pigweed seeds.
| Feature of seed | Value |
|---|---|
| Mean mass / mg | 0.45 |
| Maximum number produced per redroot pigweed plant during a growing season | 115,000 |
| Percentage viable (able to develop) after a growing season | 72 |
During a growing season, it was estimated that a total of 1,400 redroot pigweed plants grew on the fields of a farm.
Calculate the maximum mass, in kg, of viable redroot pigweed seeds on this farm after a growing season.
Show your working. Assume that all the seeds produced during the growing season remain on the farm.
