Dormancy,a critical trait for weed success in crop production systems

Agricultural practices exert selective forces on weed populations. As these practices change over time, weed adaptive traits also evolve, allowing weeds to persist in the new environment. However, only weeds having individuals showing the trait with adaptive significance will be able to cope with these changes, thus allowing a sub‐population to be selected for persistence. In addition, changes in agricultural practices can select new weed species showing functional traits with characteristics adaptive to the modified system. Seed dormancy has long been recognized as a trait with enormous adaptive value to adjust weed biology to cropping systems. In this paper, we illustrate with examples of success and failure, the value of seed dormancy as a functional trait to cope with long‐term changes in crop production systems. We show that successful outcomes are mostly related to the existence of sufficient variability for the functioning of physiological mechanisms that control dormancy characteristics as influenced by the agricultural environment. Presented examples illustrate how knowledge about the relationship that exists between agricultural practices and their selective pressure on seed dormancy can be instrumental in predicting changes in weed biotype dormancy characteristics or foreseeing the appearance of new weed species in future agricultural scenarios. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Trends and expectations for research and technology in the Asia‐Pacific region

The present paradigm in weed science should be restructured to meet the challenges of the 21st century for sufficient food production without environment hazards. The scope of weed science should be expanded to accommodate biotechnology in weed science, to breed genetically modified (GM) crops, allelopathic (weed‐suppressing) crops and highly competitive crops, and to utilize all the useful genes for bioproduction through re‐evaluation of the virtues of weeds and weed relatives. Adoption of GM crops needs further testing for all possible risks suggested. Risk assessment and monitoring of herbicides are needed in an agro‐ecosystem. International collaboration is needed to share information on weed management practices and to install international centers for weed inventory and farmer participatory training.     

Combining a weed traits database with a population dynamics model predicts shifts in weed communities

A functional approach to predicting shifts in weed floras in response to management or environmental change requires the combination of data on weed traits with analytical frameworks that capture the filtering effect of selection pressures on traits. A weed traits database (WTDB) was designed, populated and analysed, initially using data for 19 common European weeds, to begin to consolidate trait data in a single repository. The initial choice of traits was driven by the requirements of empirical models of weed population dynamics to identify correlations between traits and model parameters. These relationships were used to build a generic model, operating at the level of functional traits, to simulate the impact of increasing herbicide and fertiliser use on virtual weeds along gradients of seed weight and maximum height. The model generated ‘fitness contours’ (defined as population growth rates) within this trait space in different scenarios, onto which two sets of weed species, defined as common or declining in the UK, were mapped. The effect of increasing inputs on the weed flora was successfully simulated; 77% of common species were predicted to have stable or increasing populations under high fertiliser and herbicide use, in contrast with only 29% of the species that have declined. Future development of the WTDB will aim to increase the number of species covered, incorporate a wider range of traits and analyse intraspecific variability under contrasting management and environments.     

Linking species traits to agroecosystem services: a functional analysis of weed communities

There is a growing interest in the use of functional approaches for the study of weed assemblages, to disentangle underlying processes determining their composition and dynamics. Functional approaches are based on the assumption that weed community composition and dynamics can be best explained by a set of species traits expressing their response to agricultural disturbance. This knowledge should help develop more sustainable, ecologically based weed management systems. Trait‐based data required for this kind of analysis are available from various sources, but most of them either cover mainly non‐weedy species or, in the case of weed‐focussed trait databases, they cover a limited number of species. In this work, we present a trait database for 240 weed species common throughout Europe, including not only response traits but also effect traits, that is linked to selected agroecosystem services and disservices. A case study is presented where our weed trait database is used in conjunction with appropriate statistical analysis to highlight the distribution of weed functional groups in soyabean crop communities from an experiment including different tillage and weed management systems. Finally, we discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of this functional approach. By highlighting the links between weed species and agroecosystem (dis)services, this approach could be a useful resource for scientists, farm managers and policymakers.     

Weed biology serves practical weed management

Weed science is an applied science that serves practical weed management. Traditionally, effective weed management has been dependent upon farmers gaining knowledge of the characteristics of the weeds they were managing. The advent of herbicides has not made this knowledge-based approach redundant and problems, including herbicide resistant weeds, have made weed biology studies necessary even in the herbicide era. Weed populations continue to evolve and weed problems persist, sustaining a requirement for effective management strategies. In this paper, we exhibit several approaches to linking weed biology studies to practical weed management. These approaches demonstrate both the value of and synergy between an in-depth knowledge of weed biology and weed management practices to provide practical solutions in the field.     

Changes in functional diversity and intraspecific trait variability of weeds in response to crop sequences and climate

How weed communities assemble represents one the key issues of weed science. For a decade, functional approaches have been applied to investigate the processes that govern weed community assembly. In most previous studies, trait values have been generally averaged over multiple populations and habitats. Consequently, conspecifics display similar trait values while neglecting the considerable influence of intraspecific variability to detect changes in functional diversity in response to environmental drivers. However, this influence has been shown to be critical, especially, at local scales. Here, we studied changes in weed functional diversity at the field scale in four crop sequences. We focused on intra‐ and interspecific variability of four key functional traits involved in response to resource acquisition processes, the latter being modified by climate, management and competition. The relative influence of intra‐ and interspecific variability among the crop sequence types was highlighted using a diversity partitioning approach. It provides evidence for substantial amount of intraspecific variability in the weed community and underlines its essential role in response to fine‐scale environmental drivers. In addition, we investigated the response of the three most abundant species to competition with the crop, the growing season and the crop sequence type. We highlighted that these species showed a wide range of combinations of trait values, suggesting the co‐existence of several successful strategies. Based on these results, we emphasise that neglecting intraspecific variability can lead to substantial underestimations of the functional weed response to management and crop‐weed competition at the field scale.     

Herbicide‐resistant weed management: focus on glyphosate

This review focuses on proactive and reactive management of glyphosate‐resistant (GR) weeds. Glyphosate resistance in weeds has evolved under recurrent glyphosate usage, with little or no diversity in weed management practices. The main herbicide strategy for proactively or reactively managing GR weeds is to supplement glyphosate with herbicides of alternative modes of action and with soil‐residual activity. These herbicides can be applied in sequences or mixtures. Proactive or reactive GR weed management can be aided by crop cultivars with alternative single or stacked herbicide‐resistance traits, which will become increasingly available to growers in the future. Many growers with GR weeds continue to use glyphosate because of its economical broad‐spectrum weed control. Government farm policies, pesticide regulatory policies and industry actions should encourage growers to adopt a more proactive approach to GR weed management by providing the best information and training on management practices, information on the benefits of proactive management and voluntary incentives, as appropriate. Results from recent surveys in the United States indicate that such a change in grower attitudes may be occurring because of enhanced awareness of the benefits of proactive management and the relative cost of the reactive management of GR weeds. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Weed seed movement and dispersal strategies in the agricultural environment

This paper reviews the current knowledge on weed seed movement in an agricultural environment. Seed movement is analyzed both from an agronomic and ecological perspective, focusing predominantly on horizontal seed movement. Abiotic (anemochory and hydrochory), as well as biotic (autochory, myrmecochory, epizoochory, and endozoochory) weed seed dispersal typologies are examined, highlighting the mechanisms involved, the specializations displayed by weed species that have evolved by exploiting a particular dispersal mechanism, and their adaptive interaction with the surrounding ecosystem. Emphasis is also placed on the crucial role of human activity (anthropochory), which can affect natural (biotic and abiotic) weed seed dispersal at several stages, partly via the worldwide commercial seed trade but, above all, by crop management operations, thereby potentially facilitating the entry and spread of alien weed species. This phenomenon, together with the invasive expansion of existing weeds that more successfully coevolve and adapt to the new environment, might exert an adverse effect on biodiversity. In-depth knowledge of weed seed dispersal, survival, and germination mechanisms is therefore essential for effective and eco-compatible management of the weed phytocoenoses present in the agroecosystem in order to promote a rational trade-off between agricultural productivity and environmental protection.     

Management practices influence the competitive potential of weed communities and their value to biodiversity in South African vineyards

Weeds have negative impacts on crop production but also play a role in sustaining biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. This trade‐off raises the question of whether it is possible to promote weed communities with low competitive potential but high value to biodiversity. Here, we explored how weed communities respond to different vineyard management practices in South Africa's Western Cape, aiming to identify whether any specific practices are associated with more beneficial weed communities. Eight weed community characteristics representative of abundance, diversity and functional composition were used as indicators of competitive potential and biodiversity value. We explored how these responded to farm management strategy (organic, low input or conventional) and weed management practices (herbicides, tillage, mowing or combinations of these) using ordination and mixed models. Mown sites were associated with weed communities of high biodiversity value, with higher weed cover in both winter and summer, higher diversity and more native weeds. Mowing also promoted shorter weeds than either tillage or herbicides, considered to be less competitive with grapevines. However, high summer weed cover may be problematic where competition for water is critical, in which case tillage offers a method to limit summer weed cover that did not adversely affect diversity or native weeds. In contrast, herbicide‐treated sites had characteristics indicative of a lower biodiversity value and higher potential for competitiveness with few native weeds, lower diversity and relatively tall, small‐seeded weeds. Mowing in winter combined with tillage in spring may thus optimise the biodiversity benefits and production costs of Western Cape vineyard weeds.     

Weed dynamics in the Mediterranean urban ecosystem: ecology, biodiversity and management

This paper presents a review of weed dynamics in the Mediterranean urban ecosystem, seen both in an ecological and biological perspective and also in relation to the interaction between human activity and the survival strategies of the various phytocoenoses. Although generalizations on urban weeds cannot easily be drawn on account of the wide range of microenvironments, anemochoric dissemination mechanisms (Asteraceae), resilience (grasses) and perennation are of particular importance. The reasons underlying the undesirability of weeds in the urban environment are investigated. Not only are weeds considered unsightly, but they may also give rise to ‘functional’ obstacles, damaging sidewalks or clogging storm drains. Furthermore, they may adversely affect human health by releasing allergenic pollen into the atmosphere. Management of urban weeds is based almost exclusively on mechanical control, as chemical measures may involve a toxicity risk for man. Paradoxically, certain weeds species may however have a positive effect if they are linked to fauna (butterflies, birds, etc.) considered to give a favourable impression in the cityscape. Finally, the possibility of favouring the biodiversity of the urban ecosystem by introducing some wildflowers typically associated with the degree of biodiversity of the surrounding environment is discussed.     

Arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi: potential roles in weed management

The importance of interactions between arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and weeds of agro-ecosystems is reviewed. Considerable evidence suggests that AMF can affect the nature of weed communities in agro-ecosystems in a variety of ways, including changing the relative abundance of mycotrophic weed species (hosts of AMF), and non-mycotrophic species (non-hosts). These effects may merely change the composition of weed communities without affecting the damage that these communities cause. However, it is quite plausible that interactions with AMF can increase the beneficial effects of weeds on the functioning of agro-ecosystems. Through a variety of mechanisms, weed:AMF interactions may reduce crop yield losses to weeds, limit weed species shifts, and increase positive effects of weeds on soil quality and beneficial organisms. If beneficial effects of AMF on the composition and functioning of weed communities can be confirmed by more direct evidence, then AMF could provide a new means of ecologically-based weed management. Intentional management will be required to increase diversity and abundance of AMF in many cropping systems, but these actions (e.g. conservation tillage and use of cover and green-manure crops) typically will confer a range of agronomic benefits in addition to potential improvements in weed management.     

Weed suppression by cover crops: comparative on‐farm experiments under integrated and organic conservation tillage

Cover crops are increasingly being used for weed suppression and to enhance the sustainability of agro‐ecosystems. However, the suitability of cover crops for weed suppression in integrated and organic conservation tillage systems is still poorly investigated. Therefore, a 2‐year field study at eight sites was conducted to test the weed suppressive potential of six legume‐based cover crops, with the aim to reduce herbicide input or mechanical weed management interventions. In all experiments, cover crops were directly sown after cereals before next year's main crop (grain maize or sunflower). The presence of cover crops caused a 96% to 100% reduction of weed dry matter at the four sites managed under integrated production, while effects were lower at the four sited managed under organic production, ranging from 19% to 87%. Cover crops that covered soil quickly and which produced much dry matter had the best weed suppressive potential. However, their weed suppressing effect was difficult to predict, as it depended on the year of the investigation, experimental site, cover crop species, the speed of soil cover in autumn and the density of the resulting mulch layer in spring. The study demonstrated that cover crops are a useful tool to suppress weeds under integrated and organic conservation tillage practices. Our recommendation for supporting weed management in conservation tillage systems is to use locally adapted cover crops that have rapid establishment, good soil coverage and high dry matter production. However, additional weed management measures are required for reliable weed control under on‐farm conditions.     

Roles of the new journal

On publishing the new journal entirely written in English, its expected roles are discussed as a part of WSSJ Society activities. Since weed management is conducted as a part of the practices of agriculture, horticulture and forestry, and also non‐arable land sustainment, its reformation or innovation is inevitably influenced by socioeconomic globalization of those primary industries. The importance of international exchange of information and technology in weed science and technology is emphasized, but investigations on local weed distribution under the local climatic, soil and water conditions are also stressed as fundamental for development and settlement of innovated technologies. On of the major purposes of weed science and technology is to research the biodiversity of weeds by various approaches of relevant fields of sciences such as ecology, biology, physiology, biochemistry and chemical ecology. Biosystemics and gene technology have been preferably introduced for understanding of species biology of weeds. The concept of the biodiversity of weeds implies both their sustainable and species‐specific changeable properties. With weeds resistant to xenobiotics or adaptability of weeds to environmental impacts, active utilization of weeds is indicated as a possible important subject. Exchange of information and technologies in the Asian–Pacific region is discussed especially in terms of an international journal with pre‐review system.     

A new hypothesis for the functional role of diversity in mediating resource pools and weed–crop competition in agroecosystems

We develop a new conceptual model we call the Resource Pool Diversity Hypothesis (RPDH) aimed at explaining how soil resource pool diversity may mediate competition for soil resources between weeds and crops. The primary tenets of the RPDH are that (i) in plant communities, the intensity of inter-specific competition can depend upon the degree to which niche differentiation and resource partitioning occur among species, (ii) agricultural systems are unique in that management practices, such as crop rotation, source of fertility and weed management, result in inputs to the soil and (iii) these inputs directly or indirectly become soil resource pools from which crops and weeds may partition resources. The RPDH leads to the novel prediction that along a gradient of increasing cropping system diversity, yield loss due to weed–crop competition (i.e. the impact on yield per unit weed density) for soil resources should decrease. Similarly, the degree to which crops and weeds overlap in soil resource niche breadth (which is determined by species-specific functional traits for resource acquisition), will determine the extent to which weed–crop competition weakens as resource pool diversity increases. While there have been no direct tests of the RPDH, we highlight evidence from the agricultural literature that provides strong support for components of the hypothesis. Validation of the RPDH would have important implications across a broad range of cropping systems for the development of management strategies that aim to reduce yield loss impact per unit weed plant density and the fundamental principles of integrated weed management, such as the concepts of weed thresholds and critical periods.     

The role of arable weed seeds for agroecosystem functioning

A literature study was conducted to gather knowledge on the impact of weed seeds on agroecosystem functioning other than effects related to the production of weed seedlings and plants. The results of the review suggested that a larger and more diverse weed seedbank can contribute to the biodiversity of various groups of macrofauna and microbiota, with a positive or negative impact on the agroecosystem. However, relationships between weed seed availability and functional biodiversity in the field have generally not been established, with the exception of case studies of seeds sustaining populations of granivorous farmland birds or acting as reservoirs and vectors of plant pathogens. To value the contribution of different weed seeds to sustaining populations of functional biota, more detailed information on their relationships with seeds is essential. Hypotheses and related questions that can be used to explore the impact of weed seeds on functional biodiversity have been identified. The identification of weed seed species that are a key to sustaining functional biota may lead to a weed management strategy aiming to minimise the damage of weeds to crops while taking the alternative ecological roles of weed seeds into account.     

Prevalence of herbicide‐resistant weed species in Malaysian rice fields: A review

The management of weeds in Malaysian rice fields is very much herbicide‐based. The heavy reliance on herbicide for weed control by many rice‐growers arguably eventually has led to the development and evolution of herbicide‐resistant biotypes in Malaysian rice fields over the years. The continuous use of synthetic auxin (phenoxy group) herbicides and acetohydroxyacid synthase‐inhibiting herbicides to control rice weeds was consequential in leading to the emergence and prevalence of resistant weed biotypes. This review discusses the history and confirmed cases and incidence of herbicide‐resistant weeds in Malaysian rice fields. It also reviews the Clearfield Production System and its impact on the evolution of herbicide resistance among rice weed species and biotypes. This review also emphasizes the strategies and management options for herbicide‐resistant rice field weeds within the framework of herbicide‐based integrated weed management. These include the use of optimum tillage practices, certified clean seeds, increased crop competition through high seeding rates, crop rotation, the application of multiple modes of action of herbicides in annual rotations, tank mixtures and sequential applications to enable a broad spectrum of weed control, increase the selective control of noxious weed species in a field and help to delay the resistance evolution by reducing the selection pressure that is forced on those weed populations by a specific herbicidal mode of action.     

Does genetic variability in weeds respond to non‐chemical selection pressure in arable fields?

At a time when herbicide use is being challenged by the selection of herbicide‐resistant weeds, reliance on other, innovative weed control strategies is becoming increasingly necessary. However, one may question the sustainability of these novel farming practices if weeds adapt rapidly to these non‐chemical selection pressures. Although farmers and agronomists impose many selective processes through farming practices, there is a paucity of literature demonstrating these selection cases in arable fields. In contrast to the relatively simple case of herbicide resistance, random trait association and variability in selection pressures in field conditions could explain why there are so few clear examples of adaptive processes to non‐chemical control in arable fields.     

Assessing the practical importance of weed evolution: a research agenda

If food production is to become more sustainable, weed management systems will become subject to many internal and external constraints; these may sharply limit the available range of weed control methods. If so, it will be imperative to preserve efficacy of acceptable weed control methods by defending these against weed adaptation. Moreover, rapid and ongoing weed adaptation may explain the persistent nature of yield losses to weeds despite technological advances. Research is needed to assess the practical importance of ongoing weed evolution. The first step is to determine the risk of rapid weed adaptation to diverse control measures. Experimentally, this risk can be evaluated by determining heritabilities of traits conferring resistance to control measures, and then using ecological genetic methods to measure the actual magnitude of selection for such trails. Models of multivariate trait evolution can be used to determine the net effect of evolutionary forces bearing on weed adaptation to an integrated weed management system (IWMS). It may also be possible to take a preventive approach by designing agricultural systems so that their large-scale structure impedes weed adaptation to IWMS.     

The role of ecology in the development of weed management systems: an outlook

This paper discusses the extent to which a knowledge of weed biology and ecology can contribute to the development of weed management strategies. To date, such contributions have been modest and have been constrained by a number of factors that are discussed in this review. In contrast to other pest management disciplines, devising integrated weed management strategies that address a diversity of weed species with a diversity of life history traits is difficult. Because of this diversity, robust systems that require ecological insight beyond that of individual species are needed. Although the contributions have been modest, research findings have helped to shape weed management strategies in a number of important ways. Approaches directed at weed population management have revealed important insights into population equilibria, density-dependent mortality and life stages particularly important in regulating population size. Eco-physiological research has helped to guide the development of biologically effective herbicide dosage strategies, whereas mechanistic interplant competition modelling coupled with empirical field studies have aided in the identification of weed-suppressive crop phenotypes. Finally, much has been learned about the influence of control tactics and agronomic measures on the evolution of herbicide resistance and the development of integrated weed management strategies to address it. In this paper, examples are reviewed where research in ecology and biology has helped to shape the practice of integrated weed management. More importantly, characteristics of such research programmes are identified so that future efforts in the discipline will have a context in which the relevance of research questions and approaches can be considered.     

Quantification of regulating ecosystem services provided by weeds in annual cropping systems using a systematic map approach

Ecosystem services have received increasing attention in life sciences, but only a limited amount of quantitative data are available concerning the ability of weeds to provide these services. Following an expert focus group on this topic, a systematic search for articles displaying evidence of weeds providing regulating ecosystem services was performed, resulting in 129 articles. The most common service found was pest control and the prevailing mechanism was that weeds provide a suitable habitat for natural enemies. Other articles showed that weeds improved soil nutrient content, soil physical properties and crop pollinator abundance. Weeds were found to provide some important ecosystem services for agriculture, but only a small number of studies presented data on crop yield. Experimental approaches are proposed that can: (i) disentangle the benefits obtained from ecosystem services provisioning from the costs due to weed competition and (ii) quantify the contribution of diverse weed communities in reducing crop competition and in providing ecosystem services. Existing vegetation databases can be used to select weed species with functional traits facilitating ecosystem service provisioning while having a lower competitive capacity. However, for services such as pest control, there are hardly any specific plant traits that have been identified and more fundamental research is needed.