Microstructural and Functional Trait Variation Drives Infestation Success of Common Bindweed ( Convolvulus arvensis L.) in Diverse Crop Systems

ABSTRACT Convolvulus arvensis L. is a noxious weed with high ecological and phenotypic plasticity that can thrive, adapt and invade under various environmental conditions. It was hypothesized that the infestation success of C. arvensis is linked with its microstructural and physiological variation, allowing it to infest across a range of crops. C. arvensis specimens were collected from various cultivated crops across the Punjab province of Pakistan. Sixteen crop types were selected, with all fields having received neither pre‐emergence nor post‐emergence herbicide applications. The soil analysis from different sites showed significant variability in physicochemical characteristics. Tallest C. arvensis plants were in the Hordeum vulgare field, a strategy to transcend the host crop for light. Regarding root and stem anatomical traits, the Medicago sativa population had the thickest epidermis, and largest cortical cells reflecting an adaptive response to arid conditions. Populations such as H. vulgare , Cicer arietinum , Saccharum officinarum , and Vigna radiata had massive sclerification of the vascular region, to withstand environmental stresses. The foliar anatomical features also revealed significant inter‐population variability. In the Oryza sativa , large aerenchyma cavities and small stomata was an adaptation for saline or arid environment. Anatomical traits, that is, aerenchyma development, vascular differentiation, and epidermal modifications were key indicators for its adaptation and to thrive in different habitats. These features reflect its significant ecological adaptability and phenotypic plasticity across diverse crops and environmental conditions.