Weeds not only cause problems in our agricultural fields,
but they also make the life troublesome for the common man, infesting the home
gardens, health issues like allergies due to pollen, polluting the water bodies
and so on. The following article is in the continuation of weed science and we
will see the troubles caused by weeds.
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| A gardener using sword to eradicate weeds from fallow land |
1. Lower Crop Yields
Weeds in the agricultural fields provide competition to the
crop plants in a number of ways, for example, for nutrients, light, water and
allelopathic compounds. This reduces the crop growth and yields. Management of
these weeds is an expensive but necessary part of modern day agriculture; hence
increasing the cost of production.
2. Lower Animal/ Livestock Yields
Livestock yields are also reduced due to weeds. The presence
of weeds in the agricultural land reduces fodder crops or range forage
additionally presence of poisonous weeds may can health hazards, reduced growth
of animals and/or death.
3. Lowering Land Use Efficiency
The presence of weeds in a piece of land can affect its
value in s number of ways like increase in the cost of production, crop
management, harvest and maintenance of non-crop land. Weed infestation limits
the choice of crops in a given piece of lands, reduced plant growth and hence
the value of such piece of land also declines.
4. Hosts of Insects and Plant Disease organisms
Weeds often serve as hosts to harboring eggs of insects and when the crops are
in fields, the insect larvae infect the crops causing damage. For example, aphids
and cabbage root maggots live in mustard and later attack cabbage, cauliflower,
radish, and turnips.
Similarly, weeds also serve as the alternate of many disease
causing organisms of crop plants and viruses. For example, black stem rust may
use barberry, quackgrass, or wild oat as a host before to
attacking wheat, oats, or barley. Potato leaf roll virus also thrives on black
nightshade.
5. Reduction in Human Efficiency
Weeding, hoeing and weed control practices are very time consuming.
The farmers who manually root out weeds take a lot of time even many days are
required to clean a field of weeds infestation. On the other hand chemical
control is expensive, has health hazards and environmental concerns. But modern
chemicals may be environment friendly but cost is high which ultimately
increases cost of production
6. Poor Quality Farm Product
The presence of weed products in the crop produce like weed
seeds in grain crops, weed trash in hay and cotton not only reduce their
quality but the market price is also reduced causing reduction in farmer
income.
7. Irrigation and Drainage Problems
The problem of weeds infestation not only haunts the agricultural
fields but also the water channels, canals and lakes. Their presence reduces
the water flow, creates displeasing odor sometimes and spread of weed seeds to
the agricultural fields is common.
At recreational places, weeds plague the natural beauty of
the land and water. Household drainage is also affected by weeds; sometimes
causing health issues.
8. Impacts on Human Health
The presence of weed around us causes health concerns for us
as well. Poisonous weeds, spiny and thorny weeds and pollen allergies from are
common. Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison are prominent in this regard;
children occasionally die from eating poisonous plants or fruits.
9. Higher Costs of Production
In the light of above discussion about the impacts of weeds
in our fields and daily life, weeds must be controlled. Weed management is dependent
on the environmental conditions, crop present, type and stage of weed and above
all, the availability of resources. But under all these circumstances, the cost
of production will increase which will affect the price of the product and
hence, the price of living will also increases.
