Weed Management in Dryland Agriculture in India for Enhanced Resource Use Efficiency and Livelihood Security

Abstract

As per FAO, the regions receiving rainfall less than potential moisture loss through evaporation and transpiration with aridity index <0.65 are considered as drylands. These lands are characterized by low and erratic rainfall, water scarcity, high temperature, high potential evapo-transpiration, low humidity, high wind velocity coupled with unique bio-physic and socio-economic characteristics. Drylands occupy nearly 40 % earth land surface which is inhabited by nearly 35 % population of the world. But it has the highest level of poverty (around 47 %). In India, dryland accounts for about 57 % of total cultivated area that supports 40 % human and 60 % livestock population, but crop production is not stable. Therefore stable crop production is of prime importance to achieve sustainable livelihoods in drylands. Conservation of precipitation, nutrients, natural resources and increasing resource use efficiency can play vital role to achieve stable crop production and livelihood security. Among many factors that adversely influence resource use efficiency and crop production, severe weed infestation is most important. Weeds have the ability to survive under adverse condition, as they extract more water and nutrients from the soil, thereby reduce crop yield by 37 to 79 % in dryland agriculture. Weeds being more aggressive, adaptive and persistent pose serious threat to crop production and are difficult to control below economic threshold level with single weed management practice. Hence, more emphasis is needed to develop multiple and integrated weed control strategies in a holistic manner for sustainable crop production and livelihood security in drylands.