WEED CONTROL IN IMPROVING CROP YIELD WITH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

Abstract

The need for agricultural production is directly associated with the increased global population and limited agricultural land resources. Natural dependencies on weather & climatic conditions and factors like weeds, diseases, pests, or combinatorial issues play a significant role in the final agricultural yield. While disease and pest controls are relatively straightforward, weed control has more challenges since it coexists with crops as a contender of the same soil nutrition and favorable environment during the plant growth period. Weeds are detrimental to harvest, but it is manageable to protect through various biological, chemical, cultural, or physical mechanisms and compliant with ecological methods. Literature reveals that the weed control methods have few shortcomings, influencing overall crop production. However, the advent of precision technology in agriculture will provide a way to overcome such drawbacks. This article highlights the literature, uses various technological methods to control weeds more precisely and considers other factors influencing weed management. The study also highlights a brief covering the need for management and development of technology involved in weed management, with more thrust on identifying a few more prevailing weed control challenges in India and provision for futuristic planning to support the small farmers as end-users!