SCIENCE
Designed by:
JOYFUL JOHN E. TORREON
WHAT IS A WEED??
A weed is a plant which interferes
with human activity or welfare.
It is also defined as plant growing
in a place where it is not desired at
a particular point in time.
WHAT IS WEED SCIENCE
➢ Study of weeds and their control
A. Definition of a weed
- A plant growing where it is not wanted
- A plant whose virtues have not been
discovered
B. Characteristics of a weed
- A unique characteristic of a weed is its
excellent adaptation to the disturbed environment.
- They are able to occupy the ecological spaces
left open in those environment altered by man for
his use.
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
1. They have rapid vegetative growth.
2. They reproduce rapidly and mature early.
3. Most weeds are very prolific and produce
abundant seeds
4. They have the ability to survive and adapt
to adverse conditions.
5. Propagules possess dormancy or can be
induced to become dormant under
unfavourableconditions.
6. Adapted to crop competition
C. CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
a. Common weeds
- weeds that are more or less found in
every farm but not exceptionally injurius and are
readily controlled by good farming practices.
b. Noxious weeds
- Weeds that are particularly
undesirable characteristics, like the presence of an
extensive perennial underground system which
enable to resist the most determined effort to
control.
BASED ON OUTWARD APPEARANCE
OR GROSS MORPHOLOGY
o Grasses – are members of the family Graminae (
Poaceae) which range from small, twisted, erect,
or creeping annuals and perennials.
- stems are called culms with well-
defined nodes and internodes.
- leaves are alternately in two rows from
the nodes
- The leaf is composed of two parts, the
leaf sheath and leaf blade
o Sedges
Are members of the family Cypreaceae, has
a narrow elongated leaves but differs from grasses
by their distinguishing triangular stem.
o Broad leaves
are members of the family Dicotyledonae but
wider leaves with either parallel or netted venation
like pickerel weed( parallel veins) or three lobed
morning glory (netted veins)
BASED ON MATURITY PERIOD
OR LIFE CYCLE
❖ Annual weed – is one that matures in one
growing season or within one year.
Examples – Barnyard grass and goose grass
❖ Perennial weed- is one that in more than one
growing season or year.
Examples – purple nutsedge and bermuda
grass
Weed Classification
Life Cycle
Perennials
Biannuals
Annuals
Some part of the
Seed
Seed to seed in lives for > 1
to seed in 1-2
one season year
seasons or
years
rhizomes, tubers,
stems
WEED CLASSIFICATION
Annuals - complete their life cycle in less than 1
year
Summer Annuals:
- germinate in spring, grow during summer, mature and die
in the fall
Winter Annuals:
- germinate in the fall and winter, mature and die in spring
or early summer
WEED CLASSIFICATION
Biennials - live for more than 1 year but
not over two years
Year 1. germinate from seed and produce
cluster of leaves 1st season
Year 2. flowers, produces seed and dies 2nd
season
WEED CLASSIFICATION
Perennials - live for more than 2 years
Simple:
spread by seed (dandelion, plantain)
Creeping:
spread by creeping roots, above ground stems
(stolons), below ground stems (rhizomes), and by
seed (wild strawberry, ground ivy, bermudagrass)
BASED ON MANNER OF
REPRODUCTION
❑ Sexual weed – is one that reproduces by means of seeds.
Example: Barnyard grass
❑ Asexual weeds – Is one that reproduces by means of vegetative
propagules.
Example of vegetative propagules are:
Rhizome – is a modified underground stem with
buds and scales. Ex: cogon grass
Stolon – is a modified aboveground stem that
creeps and roots at the side. Ex: Bermuda grass
Tuber – is a short thickened underground stem.
Ex: purple nutsedge
Off-shoot – is a baby plant that arises from the
mother plant . Ex: water lettuce
BASED ON HABIT OF STEM
GROWTH
1. Erect 2. Decumbent
Ex: Goose grass
Ex: Itch grass
Prostrate 1. Ascending
Ex: Jungle rice Ex: Day flower
Creeping 1. Twining
Ex. Bermuda grass
Ex: Three lobed morning glory
BASED ON HABITAT OR PLACE
FOR PREFERRED GROWTH
➢ Wet land weed– is one that grows well in
lowland or moist soil; Example : Barnyard
grass and water lettuce
➢ Dry land weed- is one that grows well in
upland or drier soil . Example: Itch grass and
three lobed morning glory
LIFE CYCLE OF AN ANNUAL WEED
germination
plant dies
–Shallow, tap root system
growth
–Reproduce by seed
–Don’t need food reserves
seed set
flowering
pollination
WEED TYPE - PERENNIAL
Characteristics affecting timing:
•Deep root system
•Rhizomes, stolons, tubers
• Need food reserves to sustain plant
through dormancy
LIFE CYCLE OF A
PERENNIAL WEED
germination or sprouting
Highest amount growth and rhizome,
of stored carbohydrates stolon, and/or
tuber production
Lowest amount
seed set or vegetative structure
of stored
maturation
carbohydrates
(pollination) (flowering)
Nutsedge
Scientific Name: Cyperus spp.
YELLOW NUTSEDGE
Cyperus esculentus
Tolerant of low
mowing
Rhizomatous
Reproduces
primarily by tubers
Perennial
Weed Classification
Physical/Physiological
Broadleaf
(dicots)
Veins in leaves
are netted
Herbaceous or
woody
Narrowleaf
(monocots)
Veins are parallel
Grasses
Sedges
Rushes
Monocot
Large crabgrass:
Scientific Name: Digitaria sanguinalis
Dicot:
Broadleaf plantain
Scientific Name: Plantago major
Weed Classification
Best Time for Growth
Winter
Summer
Winter Start growing in
(cool season) late fall or early Starts growing in
winter. late spring/early
Summer Dies when high summer.
(warm season) temperatures start. Dies when
temperatures cool.
Summer Annual
Southern crabgrass
Smooth crabgrass
Winter Annual
Common Chickweed
ANNUAL
BLUEGRASS:
WINTER ANNUAL
Boat shaped leaf tip
Thrives in compacted
soils
Prolific seed producer
Dies in late-April and
May
Germinates in late
summer and early fall
Summer Annual: Prostrate Spurge
➢“milky” sap
PLANT DEVELOPMENT
STAGES
1. Seedling 3. Seed production
• Tender and • Slow uptake of water and
vulnerable to nutrients directed to
flower, fruit, seed
stresses
4. Maturity
2. Vegetative
• Little uptake of water and
nutrients
• Great uptake of
• Low energy production
water and nutrients
WEED MANAGEMENT
STRATEGY
Integrate Control Methods
• Preventive
•Mechanical
• Biological
• Cultural
•Chemical
PREVENTIVE METHODS
State and Federal laws
Weed-free seed and plant material
Weed-free topsoil
Clean equipment
Field borders, property edges
Prevent weeds from going to seed
MECHANICAL METHODS
Mowing
Hand removal
Hoeing
Tillage (roto-till, disk, etc.)
Mulches
Landscape fabrics
MOWING
More effective on
broadleaf weeds than
grasses
More effective on
annual than perennial
weeds
Perennial weeds – will
take several years of
continuous mowing to
see an effect
MECHANICAL CONTROL
Tillage
Controls many weeds that have
emerged
May damage
crop roots
MECHANICAL METHODS
Hand Pulling and Hoeing
Still used for weed
control in high value
crops
Best control with small
weeds
MECHANICAL METHODS
Plastic Mulches
Thickness affects weed suppression.
Black plastic prevents light penetration.
Clear and colored plastics that allow light penetration
produce high temperatures in the upper surface -
solarization
MECHANICAL METHODS
Organic Mulches
Straw, wood chips, pine straw, sawdust,
newsprint, and other organic materials
effectively shade and physically hinder
germinating weed seedlings.
CULTURAL METHODS
Crop Management Practices: row crops
Rapid, early plant development
Fertility, planting dates, seed depth
and density, close row spacing,
cultivar vigor
Most weeds do not grow well in
shade. (trees)
BIOLOGICAL METHODS
Insects - very specific in their host range –
puncture vine stem weevil
Geese,ducks, chickens, swine, and goats
Grass carp - privately owned ponds and
lakes
CHEMICAL METHODS
Herbicide - chemical that is
used to control,suppress or
kill weeds by interrupting
normal plant growth
processes.
HERBICIDE
CLASSIFICATION
Selective
- Kills some plant species, but does not
damage others.
- Ex. Preen, Weed-B-Gon
Nonselective
- Generally kills all plant species.
- Ex. Roundup, Finale
HERBICIDE
CLASSIFICATION
Contact
- Causes localized injury to plant tissue.
- Does not readily translocate.
- Ex. Diquat
Systemic
- Readily translocates in plant tissue.
- Ex. Roundup
