Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Weed Science
DEFINITION
Unwanted, undesirable, useless plants
A plant growing where it is not wanted
A plant whose potential for harm outweighs its potential for good
A plant whose uses have not yet been discovered
A plant or plant part interfering with the objectives of man
A plant that colonizes disturbed habitats (agricultural lands) and has
evolved as an interfering associate of crops, locally abundant, with little or
no value and are costly to control.
A plant that forms populations that are able to enter disturbed habitat
which are cultivated or occupied by man, and potentially depress or
displace the crop populations which are deliberately cultivated.
CONCEPT OF A WEED
Depends on characteristics, habits, and their relative position with
reference to other plants and man
Must impair man’s activities
A species is a weed only in terms of human attitude
Of approximately 250,000 plant species, 3000 have weedy characteristics,
less than 250 of these or about 0.1% are troublesome enough to be called
weeds
Some species, however, occur as a weed 99% of the time
CHARACTERISTICS OF WEEDS
Excellent adaptation to disturbed environments
Short, rapid seedling growth, and short life cycle
Can flower and produce seeds in 3-4 wks from germination
High seed output with seeds dispersed widely
Can reproduce sexually and asexually
Seed longevity and dormancy, have “flushes” of germination within a
cropping season
Can adapt to changing environment -
“plasticity”
Mature early and reproduce rapidly
Most are prolific and produce abundant seeds
Echinochloa colona – 42, 758 seeds
Monochoria vaginalis – 44, 799 seeds
Rottboellia cochinchinensis – 5, 048 seeds
Eleusine indica – 4, 899 seeds
Can germinate under a wide range of conditions
some can resist drought
others can grow in flooded soil
(anoxia or hypoxia)
can grow under saline conditions
Vegetative propagules possess apical dominance; seeds possess dormancy
or can be induced to become dormant – can survive under unfavorable
conditions
Adapted to crop competition
- uneven seed germination and emergence
- rapid establishment and growth of seedlings
- quick response to available moisture and nutrients
Excellent adaptation to disturbed conditions
Can survive adverse conditions
Rapid vegetative growth
Mature early and reproduce in a short period of time
Very prolific; produce abundant seeds or vegetative propagules (possess
dormancy)
Adapted to crop competition
WEEDS VS CROPS
Weeds are plants found on land where human has replaced the native
vegetation with a controlled system of cropping and management
They are products of natural selection
Crops are plants that fit economically into the scheme of human’s work and
existence
Plants that are managed to some degree
Man developed it to be a crop
They are products of artificial selection
Similar physiology and morphology
Weeds are UNWANTED, crops are plants that fit ECONOMICALLY into man’s
work and existence
Compete for the same resources (weeds are always associated with the
crop)
Damage caused by weed is not easily seen
Unusual to have total crop failure due to weeds
The most important criterion for weediness is interference at some place or
time with the values and activities of people
0 5531.11 0
5 4683.57 15
10 3483.51 37
15 3183.49 42
20 2400.12 57
25 1633.42 70
30 550.03 90
INVASIVE SPECIES
BPI Announces Quarantine Order on Salvinia
Salvinia molesta as a noxious weed Declaring Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo,
Guimaras and Negros under quarantine. Affect aquatic habitat, reducing
oxygen supply
Prohibition of planting, cultivation, propagation, distribution of S. molesta
and its movement to other regions
Destruction by burning, drying, or chemical methods
Mile-a-minute
Mikania micrantha
South America
Vine
Threat to ecological balance (flora and fauna)
Methods of reproduction
Asexual reproduction – perennial weeds
If a weed has an efficient means of vegetative reproduction, sexual
reproduction is of secondary importance
Some weeds have more than one type of vegetative propagule (C. rotundus
has tubers and bulbs, P. distichum has stolons and rhizomes)
Once initiated, vegetative reproduction can proceed rapidly
Vegetative reproduction
Tubers produced 3 weeks after shoot emergence (C. rotundus and S.
maritimus)
45 tubers in one week after the first tuber is formed
(S. maritimus)
Off-shoots of P. stratiotes produced in 18 days
Estimated tuber production of Cyperus rotundus:
1500 tubers/m2 or
3 to 7 million tubers/ha/season
One tuber produced 549 tubers in 126 days
First 100 d: 1 tuber/day; after 112 d: 4 tubers/day
DISPERSAL OF WEEDS
Can easily be disseminated – possess special structures for dissemination
Structure of the seed, habitat of weeds, and the activities of man are key
factors for efficient dispersal
DISSEMINATING AGENTS
Wind – for seeds that are light and small, have flattened structures, with
wing-like outgrowth or feathery appendages (pappus)
Water – common among aquatic weeds whose seeds possess oily film, light
pericarp, or inflated structure which can
float easily in water
Animals and man – seeds with spines, hooks or sticky substance
Cenchrus echinatus
Triumfetta bartramia
Chrysopogon aciculatus
Urena lobata
Bidens pilosa
Seeds with hard seed coats pass through the digestive system (birds and
cattle) are still viable and can germinate once in the soil
Cassia tora, Cassia occidentalis
Phaseolus lathyroides
Other legumes
Rats and ants carry seeds
Man – shipment of seeds, feedstuff, farm equipment; some introduced
as ornamentals, through compost or as mistaken identity
Limnocharis flava – as an ornamental
Salvinia molesta - mistakenly introduced as giant Azolla; ornament
for ponds and aquaria
There is a great number of weed seeds buried in the soil = soil seed bank
= important in weed management
Environmental factors
Moisture – soften seed coat and make it permeable to oxygen; for enzyme
activation
lowland weed seeds – germinate in saturated soil
upland weed seeds – below saturation level
Temperature – for normal metabolic activities
25 C to 35 C, upper limit 40 C
Oxygen – for respiration, to generate metabolic energy (ATP) for food
synthesis
aerobic vs. anaerobic respiration
Sunlight – may or may not be required, some
seeds germinate in the dark but most weed seeds
need sunlight to germinate .
Cultural factors
Water management
- flooding
- alternate flooding and drying
Cultivation
- brings seeds to the surface
- aerates the soil
- loss of dormancy of progagules
COMPONENTS OF COMPETITION
Weeds influence crop growth, resulting in decreased yield (especially if the
weed is very competitive)
Crops also exert partial competition against the weeds, for example,
competitive cultivars
TYPES OF COMPETITION
Interspecific competition – between plants of different species
(weeds vs crops, weed sp1 vs weed sp2)
Intraspecific competition – between plants of the same species
(individual plants of weed sp.1
or individual plants of crop 1
Resources competed for
Water
Nutrients
Space
Light – shading limits the amount of light available to crops
Light – the shading ability is expressed in terms of LIGHT TRANSMISSION
RATIO (LTR) and LEAF AREA INDEX (LAI)
LTR – ratio of light intensity at ground level to the light intensity above the
canopy level (expressed in %)
LAI –leaf area of the plant per unit ground area
LTR is affected by LAI: more leaves, higher LAI, lower LTR, more competitive
species
(less light going through canopy, thus more shading of other plants)
What makes weeds more competitive?
• Higher water use efficiency (WUE)
WUE = g of water used per g of dry matter produced
• Efficient fertilizer absorbers
Weeds absorb more nutrient and, thus, use fertilizer more efficiently than
crops
• Physiological basis: C4 vs C3 plants
C4 plants more competitive and more high-yielding than C3 plants
rapid root growth and development
rapid leaf production
multiple shoot development
extensive root system
rapid reproduction
dormancy of seeds and propagules
higher water use efficiency and nutrient
absorption .
CORN 120 49
ONION 95 56
PEANUT 105 42
SOYBEAN 125 42
TO REDUCE COMPETITION
Provide enough of the resources being competed for
Remove one of the competing individuals in this case, weeds (direct and
indirect control methods)
Apply strategies that will weaken weeds or make weeds grow slower, but
make crops grow faster
(weed management strategies)
WEED MANAGEMENT
Integration of methods to prevent, decrease or maintain weed population
densities below critical threshold levels
PREVENTIVE METHODS
When a weed problem is anticipated and action is taken to prevent it from
occurring
Secure and plant “clean seed”
Prevent seed production by weeds
Prevent the vegetative spread of perennials
Be aware of the infestation potential of imported seeds or plants (e.g.
ornamentals)
“1 year’s seeding = 7 years’ weeding”
Maintain clean weed-free fields and
surroundings (dikes, levees)
Regulatory actions - to prevent the introduction of non-native weeds or the
entry or dispersal of noxious or invasive weeds
quarantine laws by Dept of Agriculture
Use of certified or foundation seeds (many farmers use seeds from
previous harvests which are usually contaminated with weed seeds)
roguing out off-types during mid-season to prevent cross-pollination
or multiplication (e.g. weedy rice)
MECHANICAL METHODS
Handweeding
Hoeing
Tillage or cultivation
Mowing
Flooding, Dredging, Draining
Tillage – bury weed seeds , stimulate germination of dormant seeds and
propagules, desiccate shoots, and exhaust carbohydrate reserves of
perennial weeds
Thorough land preparation:
1 to 2 plowings followed by 2 to 3 harrowings will reduce weed
growth and reduce the number of handweedings after planting.
Interrow cultivation: rotary weeder (rice) off-barring, hilling-up (corn,
vegetables)
Stale-seedbed technique (SST) reduces tuber populations in the soil
PHYSICAL METHODS
Utilize some physical components of the environment, such as temperature,
humidity, or light, to the detriment of weeds
HEAT
Flaming (rice hull burning) – kills weeds
Solarization – heat from sun, dries up weeds
MULCHING
Prevents light penetration and prevents weed growth, increases soil
temperature
- rice straw, hay, paper, plastic
- used in high value crops (onion, pepper, other vegetables and fruits)
CHEMICAL METHOD
Herbicides are chemicals which are used to modify growth, injure or kill
weeds through its effect on the weeds’ physiology and biochemistry
Understand the NATURE and PROPERTIES of herbicides
Use properly
Advantages of Herbicides
Reduce or eliminate excessive human labor
Reduce or eliminate mechanical tillage requirements
Used in places where other methods will not work
Early season weed control to prevent weeds or reduce competition (pre-
emergence or pre-plant herbicides)
Disadvantages of Herbicides
Expensive
Exacting
Encourages monoculture, not diversity
Residue problems
Can be toxic to non-target organisms
HERBICIDE RESISTANCE