Abstract
Weeds are among the major constraints to any crop production system, reducing productivity and profitability. Herbicides are among the most effective methods to control weeds, and reliance on herbicides for weed control has increased significantly with the advent of herbicide-resistant crops. Unfortunately, over-reliance on herbicides leads to environmental-health issues and herbicide-resistant weeds, causing human health and ecological concerns. Crop diversification can help manage weeds sustainably in major crop production systems. It acts as an organizing principle under which technological innovations and ecological insights can be combined to manage weeds sustainably. Diversified cropping can be defined as the conscious inclusion of functional biodiversity at temporal and/or spatial levels to improve the productivity and stability of ecosystem services. Crop diversification helps to reduce weed density by negatively impacting weed seed germination and weed growth. Additionally, diversified farming systems are more resilient to climate change than monoculture systems and provide better crop yield. However, there are a few challenges to adopting a diversified cropping system, ranging from technology innovations, government policies, farm-level decisions, climate change, and market conditions. In this review, we discuss how crop diversification supports sustainable weed management, the challenges associated with it, and the future of weed management with respect to the diversification concept.
Highlights
In Southeast Asian countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Thailand, there has been an increase in the haphazard use of herbicides for weed control in subsistence farming systems leading to health and environmental concerns [14,15]
The knowledge will provide insights into how crop diversification can be integrated with the present agricultural system for sustainable weed management
Liebman and Staver [34] noted two general principles for weed management through crop diversification, (a) weeds should be subjected to various stress and mortality factors by using crop sequences containing different species and management practices, and (b) diversification methods should be designed to maximize the capture of light, nutrients, and water by crop, reducing the loss by weeds
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. China reported a grain loss of approximately 3 million metric tons each year because of weeds [12] These data indicate that weeds continue to be a major threat in crop production, causing substantial economic and yield loss worldwide [13]. In Southeast Asian countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Thailand, there has been an increase in the haphazard use of herbicides for weed control in subsistence farming systems leading to health and environmental concerns [14,15] In developed countries such as the USA, China, and Brazil, farmers are engaged in specialized agricultural production systems with the increased use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides. The knowledge will provide insights into how crop diversification can be integrated with the present agricultural system for sustainable weed management
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