Advances in Crop Science and Technology
Open Access

Weed control is a botanical component of pest control that aims to prevent weeds, particularly noxious weeds, from competing with desirable flora and fauna such as domesticated plants and livestock, as well as non-native species competing with native species in natural environments. In agriculture, weed control is crucial. Hand hoeing, powered cultivation with cultivators, smothering with mulch, deadly wilting with high heat, burning, and chemical control with herbicides are some of the methods used (weed killers). Weeds compete with valuable crops or pasture, and they can be poisonous, unpleasant, grow burrs or thorns, or otherwise obstruct the use and management of desirable plants by contaminating harvests or causing animal problems. Weeds compete for space, nutrients, water, and light with crops. Seedlings that are smaller and slower growing are more vulnerable than those that are larger and more aggressive. Because onions are sluggish to germinate and develop slender, erect stems, they are one of the most vulnerable plants. Broad beans, on the other hand, generate huge seedlings and incur significantly fewer consequences, except during periods of water scarcity while the pods are filling out. Transplanted crops grown in sterile soil or potting compost have an advantage against weed seeds developing.

Weeds can harbour pests and illnesses that can infect farmed crops. Clubroot is transmitted by charlock and shepherd's purse, eelworm is carried by chickweed, fat hen, and shepherd's purse, and the cucumber mosaic virus, which can wipe out the cucurbit family, is carried by a variety of weeds including chickweed and groundsel.

Chickweed, annual meadow grass, shepherd's purse, groundsel, fat hen, cleaver, speedwell, and hairy bittercress are examples of annual and biennial weeds that reproduce via seeding. Many of them generate massive amounts of seed several times a season, and others even all year. Scentless Mayweed yields over 30,000 seeds per plant, while Groundsel can generate 1000 seeds and can continue through a moderate winter. Herbaceous weeds are claimed to be suppressed by root exudates produced by some plants. Tagetes minuta is supposed to be helpful against couch and ground elder and a comfrey border is said to act as a barrier against weed invasion, including couch. Some weeds are prevented from sprouting by a 5–10 centimetres (2.0–3.9 in) covering of wood chip mulch.

Rotation of crops

Crop rotation with weed-killing crops like hemp, Mucuna pruriens, and other crops that choke out weeds can be a very successful weedcontrol weedcontrol strategy. It's a method to avoid herbicides while still reaping the benefits of crop rotation.

Biological techniques

Biological weed management strategies can include biological control agents, bioherbicides, grazing animals, and predator protection. Weed seed predators, such as ground beetles and small vertebrates, can help with weed regulation after distribution by taking weed seeds from the soil surface and therefore reducing seed bank size. Several studies have shown that invertebrates play an important role in the biological management of weeds.

Herbicides

Herbicides, on the other hand, can be used to manage weeds. Herbicides that kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop mostly unscathed are known as selective herbicides. Some of these work by inhibiting weed development and are frequently based on plant hormones. Herbicides are divided into four categories:

Bradley technique

See also the Bradley Method of Bush Regeneration, which relies heavily on ecological processes. The flying seed of the dandelion and the rose-bay willow plant parachute far and wide, and perennial weeds reproduce through seeding. Dandelion and dock also have deep tap roots that can recover from any leftover portion in the ground, despite the fact that they do not propagate underground.

Cross breed

One technique for keeping up with the viability of individual systems is to consolidate them with others that work in complete various ways. Accordingly seed focusing on has been joined with herbicides. In Australia seed, the board has been successfully joined with trifluralin and clethodim.

Universally weed social orders assist with connecting weed science and the board. In North America, the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) is the significant weed science learned body with European Weed Research Council and Council of Australasian Weed Society filling a similar need in Australia and New Zealand. There are additionally territorial weed social orders in Australasia and North America.