Weed Management in India

Indian economy is primarily an agrarian economy. Agricultural production depends on various factors which either enhance output or limit the production. Any set back in these factors severely affects the output or yield. Of the total estimated losses caused in production by pests (insects, affects diseases and weeds) in the world, weeds alone are responsible for one third of it. Presence of weeds in general reduces crop yields by 31.5% (22. 7% in winter season and 36.5% in summer and kharif season). But as the farmers adopt some kind of weeding practices on their fields, a conservative estimate of 10% loss in crop yields may be taken as more realistic.

On the basis of origin and introduction, development of land, water or on other plani substrate, development in one year or for more years, possesses woody or herbacious stem, weeds are called native or exotic, terrestrial, aquatic or parasitic, annual or perennial and herbaceous or woody, respectively. Weeds are commonly classified into grasses, broad leaves and sedges depending on their stem and leaf morphology.

In India, till seventies, manual and mechanical removal was the best option with the farmers to get rid of weeds. But soon with advent of labour crises, herbicides use gained momentum particularly in Punjab and Haryana and now good amount of herbicides is being produced and consumed in India. In seventies, biological control also started to take shape for weed control and in eighties good success was achieved to control water hyacinth and water fern. This paper deals with various weed management options for terrestrial, aquatic and parasitic weeds in context to Indian situations. In the last, future lines or research for weeds management in India are also given.