Abstract
A significant level of yield losses in the vegetable and fruit farms are attributed to the weed populations of the area. This study was conducted for eighteen months during 2019-2020 to assess the presence of various weed families, related species, and their densities in the vegetable (CROP A) and fruit (CROP B) farms of Taif, Saudi Arabia. During the study, fourteen and ten weed families were noted in the vegetable and fruit farms of the studied area, respectively. Poaceae family weeds (729) were significantly higher in numbers followed by the families Asteraceae (414), Chenopodiaceae (338), and Gisekiaceae (153). In the vegetable farms, two weed species of the family Poaceae including Setaria viridis (437) and Eleusine indica ssp (277) were present in the higher numbers followed by Chenopodium murale (166) of the Chenopodiaceae family. In the fruit farms, the weed species Cynodon dactylon of the family Poaceae represented the highest weed density (172) followed by Gisekia pharnaceoides L. species (153) of family Gisekiaceae and Portulaca oleracea (59) belonging to the family Portulacaceae. The vegetable and fruit farms of the Taif region face severe weed pressure that affects the cultivated crops. This study depicts a comprehensive picture of weed diversity and density in the vegetable and fruit farms of the area. The results of this study will be beneficial in developing effective weed management practices for better crop production.
Highlights
BackgroundThe world population is increasing at an alarming rate and is expected to reach over 9 billion by 2050
Biotic factors are more important as they affect the production of vegetables, fruits, and crops
This study provides the necessary information about various weed populations in the area and it will facilitate the development of long-term weed management practices for improving crop production
Summary
The world population is increasing at an alarming rate and is expected to reach over 9 billion by 2050. These management programs result in increased cost of production and generally focus to prevent weed competition and accumulation of weed seeds to the soil seed bank These practices gradually reduce weed densities in the following years (Battle et al, 1996). A significant decrease in the number of fruits of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) has been reported that reached up to 94% and 44% due to competition with weeds Cyperus rotundus L. and Amaranthus palmeri (Morales-Payan et al, 1997; Norsworthy et al, 2007) whereas Capsicum annuum required a weed-free period of 12.2 weeks to avoid production losses (Amador-Ramirez, 2002). This study provides the necessary information about various weed populations in the area and it will facilitate the development of long-term weed management practices for improving crop production
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