The occurrence of Papaver rhoeas L. in agrocenoses of the buffer zone of the Roztocze national Park compared to other regions of Poland

Abstract

The paper tries to determine the environmental amplitude as well as the optimal conditions for the vegetation of Papaver rhoeas in the agrocoenoses of the Roztocze National Park's buffer zone, as compared to other Polish regions. The analysis is based on certain habitat and anthropogenic factors. Based on the author's own research and the data quoted in the literature, it has been found that Papaver rhoeas occurs in the associations and communities of the Caucalidion and Aperion alliances accompanying cereal and rape crops as well as in the Polygono-Chenopodion and Panico-Setarion alliances accompanying root crops. Papaver rhoeas demonstrates a large environmental scale, as its presence has been noted in low- and highlands, in foothills, in river valleys as well as on slopes. Moreover, it teams up with various types of soils (of a wide range of acidity, moisture as well as trophic and thermal conditions) and complexes. Papaver rhoeas occurs most often and in the largest numbers in winter crops in the Lathyro-Melandrietum and Caucalidio-Scandicetum association which belongs to the Caucalidion alliance and in the Consolido-Brometum, Vicietum tetraspermae papaveretosum and V. t. consolidetosum association from the Aperion alliance. As far as root crops are considered, Papaver rhoeas shows up in the Lamio-Veronicetum politae association from the Polygono- Chenopodion alliance. It prefers chalky and Jurassic rendzinas containing CaCO₃ and other fertile loam and loess soils which belong to wheat complexes, with their pH ranging from slightly acid to alkaline (Eutric Vertisols, chernozem, brown soil, alluvial soil) and which are moderately moist, warm, medium-rich in nitrogen and with good soil biological activity. In the foothill areas, it dominates on alluvial soils in the river valleys; rarely has it been spotted on the slopes. Papaver rhoeas rarely occurs on the lightest sandy soils of the weak and very weak rye complexes and weak cereal-fodder complexes. The distribution of Papaver rhoeas reflects the soil conditions in a given area.