Biology And Management Of Problematic Weed Species

Weeds are the main biological constraint to crop production throughout the year. Uncontrolled weeds could cause 100% yield loss. In Australia, the overall cost of weeds to Australian grain growers was estimated at AU$ 3.3 billion annually. In terms of yield losses, weeds amounted to 2.7 million tonnes of grains at a national level. In the USA, weeds cost US$ 33 billion in lost crop production annually. In India, these costs were estimated to be much higher (US$ 11 billion). These studies from different economies suggest that weeds cause substantial yield and economic loss. Biology and Management of Problematic Weed Species details the biology of key weed species, providing vital information on seed germination and production, as well as factors affecting weed growth. These species include Chenopodium album, Chloris truncata and C. virgate, Conyza bonariensis and C. canadensis, Cyperus rotundus, and many more. This information is crucial for researchers and growers to develop integrated weed management (IWM) strategies. Written by leading experts across the globe, this book is an essential read to plant biologists and ecologists, crop scientists, and students and researchers interested in weed science. Provides detailed information on the biology of different key weed species Covers weed seed germination and emergence Presents the factors affecting weed growth and seed production

Weed Biology and Climate Change will provide a synthesis of what is known regarding the probable impact of environmental change on weed biology. Chapters will look at impacts of weed biology on agriculture, invasive species that limit ecological diversity and weeds that serve as health risks. In addition it looks at current weed management strategies and how they will be affected by global climate change. The book covers an increasingly important area in plant science, crop science and ecological research, and will be essential reading for anyone exploring the biological impacts of a changing environment.

Weeds are successful plants, but on their own terms. Looking at weeds from an ecological viewpoint, emphasising the way in which one species interacts with others, the authors show that weeds are questionable mainly in that they are out-of-place.

This book presents principles and practices for ecologically based weed management in a wide range of temperate and tropical farming systems. Special attention is given to the evolutionary challenges that weeds pose and the roles that farmers can play in the development of new weed-management strategies.

Presents innovative approaches to weeds and weed management. Expanding the Context of Weed Management is your key to the latest economically and environmentally friendly methods of managing weeds. You will explore the biological, cultural, mechanical, and preventive tools and techniques that are necessary to successfully manage weeds. Expanding the Context of Weed Management teaches you how to optimize your crop production and profit by integrating preventive techniques, scientific knowledge, and management skills into your current farming routine. This practical volume contains a series of review articles and original research that present innovative approaches to weeds and weed management. In its pages you will discover valuable and practical information about: how weeds can be considered a part of the cropping system instead of an isolated pest to beeliminated why weeds behave as they do short and long term approaches to changing weed management standard breeding methods for weed competitive crops how to improve soil quality to manage weeds how to integrate pest management for weeds how to avoid propagule production how to reduce weed emergence in crops how to minimize weed competition with the crop The costliness of weeds and weed control is more than $15 billion a year in the United States.Expanding the Context of Weed Management will help you cut this cost with the latest methods of effective weed control. Intended for agronomists, weed scientists, crop advisors, environmentalists, students, and crop ecologists,this book provides a successful and environmentally sound perspective on weeds and their control.

Weeds hold an enigmatic and sometimes-controversial place in agriculture, where they are generally reviled, grudgingly tolerated, and occasionally admired. In most cases, growers make considerable effort to reduce the negative economic impact of weeds because they compete with crops for resources and hinder field operations, thereby affecting crop productivity and quality, and ultimately the sustainability of agriculture. Weed control in production agriculture is commonly achieved through the integration of chemical, biological, and mechanical management methods. Chemicals (herbicides) usually inhibit the growth and establishment of weed plants by interfering with various physiological and biochemical pathways. Biological methods include crop competition, smother crops, rotation crops, and allelopathy, as well as specific insect predators and plant pathogens. Mechanical methods encompass an array of tools from short handled hoes to sophisticated video-guided robotic machines. Integrating these technologies, in order to relieve the negative impacts of weeds on crop production in a way that allows growers to optimize profits and preserve human health and the environment, is the science of weed management.