Weeding

A species that successfully competes with the target plant is categorised as a weed. Weeds are harmful, competitive and resistant. Humans consider a plant to be a weed if it grows in an undesirable area or creates ecological/economic damage or destruction. Weeding is the technique of removing weeds from an area by destroying them. Weeding is necessary because weeds are invasive, aggressive plants that devastate the area in which they thrive.

One of the main reasons weeds are such a big problem is that they can cause plenty of problems for farmers if they aren't dealt with quickly. They can, for example, reduce crop yield, contaminate food, and even cause crop diseases. In this article, we will look into the different types of weeds and how can we prevent them from damaging our crops.

Weeding

• Weeding is the process of removing unwanted plants from a field. The agricultural field is weeded primarily using two methods: tilling and mowing.

• Weed plants are tilled completely with their roots and removed during tilling. Mowing is the process of removing unwanted plants from a field.

• Weeding can be done through weed prevention, control and eradication.

• Weed prevention is the process of preventing weeds from infecting a given region.

• Weed control entails a variety of methods to limit weed infestations and reduce competition.

• Weed eradication is the full removal of weeds, vegetative reproductive components and seeds from the environment. The complete control of a weed is referred to as eradication.

Classification of Weeds

Weeds are classified on the basis of habitat, morphology, physiology and life cycle.

1. On the Basis of Habitat: Terrestrial or aquatic.

Terrestrials are the ones that live on land, while aquatic are the ones that live in water.

2. On the Basis of Morphology: - Monocots and dicots.

While monocots have one cotyledon seed leaf, dicots have two cotyledons.

3. On the Basis of Physiology: C3 and C4 plants.

4. On the Basis of Life Cycle: Annual, biennials and perennials.

• Annual is a plant that takes one year to complete its life span from seed to seed.

• The life cycle of biennial weeds takes two growing seasons to complete. The first year is vegetative, while the second year is reproductive.

• Perennial weeds, which exist for three years or longer, have specialised reproductive systems for overwintering and long-term survival.

Weed Plants

Weeds have existed ever since agriculture began 10,000 years ago. Weed plants are plants that grow where you don't want them to. It is unavoidable to prevent weeds from spreading into a disturbed region, such as cropland, where they are unwanted and potentially destructive to the crops being grown, according to the properties of weeds.

Types of Weeds

Weeds exist in three types: grass, sedge and broadleaf.

• Monocots with hollow stems, round or flattened stems, nodes (joints) and parallel leaves are grass weeds. Crabgrass is an example of grass.

• Sedge weeds include monocots with three ranked leaves arranged in a triangle, parallel-veined leaflets and "edges." Purple nutsedge is an example of sedge weed.

• Broadleaf weeds are dicots with netted vein patterns on the leaves, joints with one or more leaves, secondary growth and spectacular blooms. Ivy, morning glory and common privet are examples of broadleaf weeds.

Weeds Examples

A few examples of weeds are nut grass, portulaca, common couch, leucaena, grader grass, rubber vine, buffelgrass, pond apple, hymenachne, prickly acacia and thistles.

Images of Weeds

Various Weed Plants

Define Cultivation.

The action or process of preparing the soil for agricultural production is known as cultivation. In cultivation, row cultivation, tillage and blind cultivation are three methods for killing weeds. Blind cultivation eradicates the first flushes of weeds while they are young and vulnerable.

How do Weeds Affect Plant Growth?

Plants fight for three things: water, nutrients and light. On the other hand, weeds have longer, broader roots, providing them with a competitive advantage regarding water uptake. Weeds have larger leaves, may rotate towards the sun and have longer stems, all of which make them more competitive for light. Weeds also develop and expand faster than the crops, providing them with an edge in gaining these features sooner. While having deeper and larger roots may help the plant absorb nutrients, they are less efficient at growing without light.

Disadvantages of Weed Plants

Weeds have the following disadvantages: lower productivity, displace native species, contribute to land degradation, shade out desirable plants, displace desirable plants, damage native ecosystems, can be prickly, toxic, damage crops, harbour pests, can be parasitic, unpalatable, change fire regimes, cause allergies, have allelopathic properties and are expensive.

Conclusion

Weeds are unwanted small plants that are harmful to crop plants and livestock. These are removed from crop plants by using various methods and these methods are assigned by knowing the weed type and identification. Some may be surprised to learn that, despite their reputation among farmers and gardeners, there are weeds that can be consumed. Plant parts such as dandelion, chickweed, plantain, garlic mustard, and even violets are included here. The above article helps to understand weed plants and their impact on crops.