Database Report

Arable Weeds and Management in Europe

Helen Metcalfe, Jana Bürger & Guillaume Fried

GIVD Database ID: EU-00-033	Last update: 2025-10-21
Arable Weeds and Management in Europe	Web address:
Database manager(s): Helen Metcalfe (helen.metcalfe@rothamsted.ac.uk); Jana Bürger (jana.buerger@uni-rostock.de); Guillaume Fried (guillaume.fried@anses.fr)
Owner: Members of the EWRS Working Group Weeds and Biodiversity
Scope: Weed vegetation survey data, complemented with data on agricultural management of the surveyed fields.
Abstract: Arable Weeds and Management in Europe is a collection of weed vegetation records from arable fields in Europe, collected through an initiative within the Working Group Weeds and Biodiversity of the European Weed Research Society (EWRS). Plot-vegetation data from this particular scientific community has not previously been collected in a data base. The initiators aim to prove the usefulness of collection for large scale studies through some first analyses, to assure other weed scientists who have signalled willingness to share data. Presently, the collection has 59839 records, from approx. 5000 fields, starting from the early 1990s. Many more studies for potential inclusion exist. Data originate mostly from studies exploring the effect of agricultural management on weed vegetation. It is accompanied with extensive meta-data on crop and weed management on the surveyed fields, provided by the farmers. The criteria for inclusion were a minimum requirement of meta data on the cultivated crop, and a georeference to the location. Plot sizes range mainly from 1m² to 2000m², but sometimes a larger area of the field was surveyed (0.5-1ha). Most fields were surveyed repeatedly, for example with 10 plots per fields, transects from edge to interior, or with multiple visits per cropping season. All surveys aimed to record the complete vegetation on the plots. Sometimes, taxa were identified only to genus level, due to survey dates very early in the vegetation period. The taxonomy was harmonized according to the Euro+Med database.
Availability: according to a specific agreement	Online upload: no	Online search: no
Database format(s): PostgreSQL	Export format(s): Excel, CSV file
Plot type(s): normal plots, time series	Plot-size range (m²): 0.125 to 20000
Non-overlapping plots: 41850	Estimate of existing plots: 80000	Completeness: 52%	Status: ongoing capture
Total no. of plot observations: 60475	Number of sources (biblioreferences, data collectors): 32	Valid taxa: 1260
Countries (%): CZ: 0.5; DE: 13; ES: 1; FR: 32.5; GB: 40; HU: 5; LV: 1.5; PL: 1; IT: 2.5
Formations: Non Forest: 100% = Terrestrial: 100% (Non arctic-alpin: 100% [Anthropogenic: 100%])
Guilds: all vascular plants: 100%
Plot size categories (%): < 1 m2: 42%; 1-10 m2: 11%; 10-100 m2: 12%; 100-1000 m2: 18%; 1000-10000 m2: 17%; >= 10000 m2: 0.5%; unknowmn: 0%;
Environmental data (%): altitude: 9; other soil attributes: 80; soil pH: 32; other attributes: soil type, soil texture, clay/silt/sand content, nitrogen content, soil organic matter content
Performance measure(s): cover: 15%; number of individuals: 85%
Geographic localisation: point coordinates less precise than GPS, up to 1 km: 90%; political units or only on a coarser scale ( above 10 km): 10%
Sampling periods: 1990-1999: 1.5%; 2000-2009: 88%; 2010-2019: 10%
Information as of 2025-12-14; further details and future updates available from http://www.givd.info/ID/EU-00-033

Helen Metcalfe* (helen.metcalfe@rothamsted.ac.uk)
Rothamsted Research, AL5 2JQ Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UNITED KINGDOM
Jana Bürger (jana.buerger@uni-rostock.de)
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Satower Straße 48, 18057 Rostock, GERMANY
Guillaume Fried (guillaume.fried@anses.fr)
Plant Health Laboratory, Anses, 755 avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez, FRANCE
* corresponding author