An analysis of impact of temperature and climate on weeds

While it is well acknowledged that climate change would have an effect on long-term interactions between crops and weeds, the extent of this impact is unknown. We believe that a comprehensive knowledge of weed dominance and weed interactions, as they vary based on crop and weed ecosystems and crop sequences within the ecosystem, will be the most important element in weed control effectiveness. Uncontrolled weed establishment in crops, for example, results in a mixed population in terms of C3 and C4 pathways, which complicates weed management significantly. When evaluating the effect of climate change on crop-weed competitive interactions, it's important to include all conceivable combinations of crops and weeds since, from a weed management standpoint, C4 weeds would thrive in the higher temperature scenario and pose significant production penalties. This is especially concerning since C4 plants make up the bulk of the most competitive weeds. Reduced water availability, as a result of repeated and unforeseeable droughts, would change the competitive balance between crops and certain weed species, increasing crop weed competition pressure. Although it is well acknowledged that climate change-related weed pressure poses a major danger to agricultural output, whether due to higher temperatures, rainfall shifts, or elevated CO2 levels, current understanding of this impact is limited. This article discusses a few models that have tried to anticipate these interactions, since these models may be useful in designing future management plans for future weed concerns. This study has provided a thorough overview of current research in this field, as well as identifying major flaws that need additional investigation in crop-weed eco-systems in order to develop appropriate management strategies before the actual effects of climate change become apparent.