NAAS Journal

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P-ISSN: 2618-060X, E-ISSN: 2618-0618   |   NAAS: 5.20

2025, Vol. 8, Special Issue 1

Prospects of ecological weed management


E Jeevana Lakshmi and Y Lakshmi Prasanna

Weeds are an important constraint in agricultural production systems causing economic losses. Introduction of herbicides as a means of weed control in 1940s was one of the major approach for intensification of agricultural production systems. Sooner, chemical weed control rapidly evolved as standard approach, making other management options for regulating weed population size far less important. Continuous use of herbicides resulted in greater selection pressure within the plant community leading to weed shift and evolution of herbicide tolerant species. Globally, there are currently 505 unique cases of herbicide resistant weeds (Heap, 2019). Due to longer persistence, they pose an impact on soil pH, microbial activity, surface and underground water resources polluting the environment. Considering these ill effects and increased interest in organic agriculture, alternative solutions have evolved. As options for biological control are limited and complete reliance on mechanical control is undesirable, ecological based weed management (EWM) which works proactively with nature’s operating system is an option in the forefront. In line with EWM, there is a need to change the way in which we think about weeds and its management, moving beyond the long standing reactive approach in which weed management is an afterthought. Under such situation, optimizing agro-ecosystem design criteria to manage weeds becomes a long term investment that yields measurable dividends. With the three principles namely reduction of weed seedling emergence, improved crop competitiveness and reduced weed seed bank size, EWM is a possible solution where cropping systems are designed to lower weed community densities and improve crop competitiveness.
Pages : 280-284 | 85 Views | 34 Downloads
How to cite this article:
E Jeevana Lakshmi, Y Lakshmi Prasanna. Prospects of ecological weed management. Int J Res Agron 2025;8(1S):280-284. DOI: 10.33545/2618060X.2025.v8.i1Se.2384
Call for book chapter