Microbial Mechanisms Suppressing Invasive Weeds for Sustainable Agriculture: A Review

Effect of different weed management practices on organically grown cotton

Weeds pose a significant challenge in cotton cultivation by competing with the crop for essential resources such as sunlight, water and nutrients, ultimately leading to reduced yield and fibre quality if not effectively controlled. Although chemical herbicides have been widely used for weed management, rising concerns over herbicide resistance, environmental impacts and the need for sustainable agriculture have encouraged the adoption of organic alternatives. Among these, mulching has been recognised as an effective practice for weed suppression while improving soil health and reducing dependence on synthetic chemicals. A field study was conducted during the kharif seasons from 2020–2024 at the Centre for Organic Agriculture Research and Training, Department of Agronomy, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, to evaluate the effects of different weed management practices in organically grown cotton. The results indicated that crop growth parameters including plant height, leaf area per plant, number of sympodial branches per plantand dry matter accumulation per plant along with yield attributes such as number of picked bolls per plant, boll weight per plant and seed cotton yield per plant were significantly higher under the stale seedbed method combined with twice hand weeding, showing performance comparable to that of straw mulch. This treatment also recorded lower weed density and weed dry weight, along with higher weed control efficiency. Economic analysis revealed that stale seedbed with hand weeding produced higher gross returns, whereas straw mulch was more profitable with better net returns and benefit-cost ratio, indicating its suitability as a sustainable weed management option for organic cotton.

Weed-Suppressive Crops in Agricultural Systems: Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Crop Yield

Agroecological approaches are increasingly recognized as sustainable alternatives to conventional weed management practices. This review examines the role of soybean, potato, and winter wheat as key crops within agroecological systems for effective weed suppression. Four management strategies—crop rotation, post-harvest mulching, optimized planting density (for soybean and potato), and varietal mixtures (for winter wheat)—are evaluated for their influence on weed dynamics and overall system performance. The synthesis of current studies indicates that these practices can significantly reduce weed pressure while enhancing soil health, biodiversity, and the provision of key ecosystem services, including provisioning, regulating, and supporting functions. In addition, these approaches contribute to improved crop productivity and reduced reliance on chemical inputs. Agroecological strategies also support pest regulation, water-use efficiency, and climate resilience, promoting more sustainable and resource-efficient agricultural systems. Despite these benefits, challenges related to farmer adoption, labor requirements, and limited policy support remain. Overall, this review highlights the potential of integrated agroecological practices to achieve sustainable agricultural intensification while balancing ecological sustainability with economic viability. Further research and supportive policy frameworks are needed to facilitate the wider implementation of these approaches across diverse agroecosystems.

Assessing the Impact of Weeds on Rice Growth and Productivity: Experimental Designs and Quantitative Approaches.

Diverse weed control approaches for sustainable vegetable peas production: Insights into herbicide residues and soil biology

Ecological Concepts for Sustainable Weed Management: A Comprehensive Review of Principles, Practices, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Weed management remains one of the greatest challenges confronting sustainable agricultural production due to the persistent competition between weeds and crops for essential resources such as light, water, nutrients, and space. Conventional weed control has historically relied heavily on synthetic herbicides because of their effectiveness and ease of application. However, the continuous dependence on herbicides has resulted in several environmental and agronomic challenges, including herbicide resistance, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, contamination of water resources, and potential risks to human and animal health. These concerns have stimulated increasing interest in ecological approaches that promote sustainable weed management while maintaining agricultural productivity and ecosystem integrity. This review critically examines the ecological concepts underpinning sustainable weed management and highlights their significance in modern agriculture. The paper explores the principles of weed ecology, integrated weed management (IWM), weeds as ecological goods, weed community dynamics, non-chemical weed management, ecological approaches to weed control, and the influence of climate change on weed interference. Particular attention is given to the ecological interactions among weeds, crops, soil organisms, and environmental factors that determine weed population dynamics and management outcomes. The review demonstrates that sustainable weed management is most effective when multiple complementary approachesincluding cultural, mechanical, biological, physical, ecological, and precision-based technologiesare integrated to suppress weed populations below economically damaging thresholds rather than pursuing complete weed eradication. Furthermore, the review discusses the emerging roles of conservation agriculture, cover cropping, crop diversification, allelopathy, biological control, artificial intelligence, robotics, remote sensing, precision agriculture, and climate-smart farming in enhancing weed management efficiency while reducing dependence on chemical herbicides. The paper also examines the major challenges limiting the adoption of ecological weed management, including high labour requirements, limited technical knowledge, inadequate extension services, financial constraints, herbicide resistance, and the increasing impacts of climate change. Despite these constraints, significant opportunities exist through advances in agroecology, biotechnology, digital agriculture, policy support, and interdisciplinary research, which collectively provide promising pathways for improving weed management under diverse production systems. The review concludes that ecological weed management represents a resilient, environmentally sound, and economically viable strategy for achieving sustainable agricultural intensification and long-term food security. Future efforts should focus on strengthening research, innovation, farmer education, policy implementation, and the integration of ecological principles with emerging technologies to develop adaptive weed management systems capable of addressing evolving agricultural and environmental challenges. The findings of this review provide a comprehensive scientific foundation for researchers, students, extension personnel, policymakers, and agricultural practitioners seeking to promote sustainable weed management in the face of global environmental change.

Advancing Future Weed Management Strategies through Weed Seed Bank Depletion: A Review

In recent decades, the demand for food production had increased due to the rapidly growing global population, exerting notable pressure on agricultural systems. Weeds had reduced the yield of crops by 34% due to which effective weed management is crucial. The pool of weeds is the reservoir of seeds which are viable within ground. Understanding the key factors influencing seed bank longevity, such as seed dormancy, environmental conditions, and human intervention, was essential for its effective management. Weed seed bank depletion could be achieved through various approaches that are cultural, biological, mechanical, chemical, biochemical, and integration of various strategies for management of weeds. The enhanced growth of herbicide resistant weeds led to the adoption of management strategies which addresses shifting weed dynamics. Various practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, mulching and other weed management methods can reduce the source of weeds in soil. Over time, systematic depletion of weed seed reserve could substantially lower weed pressure, reduce reliance on herbicides, and improve the effectiveness of long-term weed control strategies. Therefore, lowering the weed reserve forms a major component of sustainable management of weeds providing durable solutions for agriculture and land management.