CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO WEED
SCIENCE

▪ Definition of Weeds
▪ Types of Weeds
 INTRODUCTION
▪ Weed Science is the scientific discipline that
studies plants that interfere with human
activity.
▪ Areas of study range from basic biological
and ecological investigations to the design
of practical methods of managing weeds in
the environment.

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 INTRODUCTION (cont…)
▪ The overall goal of weed management is to
design the most appropriate methods in a
variety of situations that ensure a sustainable
ecosystem and a minimum influence of
nuisance weeds.
▪ In the beginning, there were no weeds.
▪ “Plants, Man and Life”
by Anderson (1952)
“Weeds have been existing on the earth ever since the
man started domesticating/cultivating plants and
animals around 10,000 B.C.” Beauty and
great aesthetic
▪ So what are weeds? appeal of weeds
flower
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 DEFINITION OF WEED
▪ There is no universal definition that is accepted by
all scientists.
▪ In 1967 the Weed Science Society of America
defined a weed as “a plant growing where it is not
desired”.
▪ In 1989 the Society’s definition was changed to
define a weed as “any plant that is objectionable or
interferes with the activities or welfare of man”.
▪ Ecological context? Science context?

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 DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
▪ Most popular definition: plants growing where
they are not wanted, plants out of place and
plants whose virtues have yet to be
discovered.
▪ True but not entirely accurate. The definition
disregard some fundamental biological
features that set them apart from most other
plants:-
▪ Aesthetic value?
▪ Used?
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DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
▪ The definitions only imply physical locations
as the sole factor determining weeds.
“a plant growing where it is not desired”
Example: Maize growing in soybeans farm or
soybeans in maize farm compared to some of
the obnoxious long lasting weeds
Chromolaena? Mikania?

Chromolaena odorata Mikania micrantha

DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
▪ The European Weed Research Society
defined a weed as “any plant or vegetation,
excluding fungi, interfering with the objectives
or requirements of people” (EWRS, 1986).
▪ Although the definitions are clear, they are not
accepted by all scientists.
▪ The Oxford English Dictionary: A
herbaceous plant not valued for use or
beauty, growing wild and rank, and regarded
as cumbering the ground or hindering the
growth of superior vegetation. 7
DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
▪ A weed is weed because it
possesses certain characteristics
that set it apart from other plant
species.
▪ Weeds possess one or more of the
following characteristics:
1. abundant seed production
2. rapid population establishment
3. seed dormancy
4. long-term survivals of buried
seed 8
DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
5. adaptation for spread
6. presence of vegetative
reproductive structures
7. ability to occupy sites disturbed by
humans

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 DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
▪ ‘Theundiscovered virtues
concept for weeds’ – by R.W.
Emerson “if we can find some for the
weed, then it would no longer be a
weed!”
▪ Eg. Rhygrass (Lolium multiflorum) have
high nutritive value, and can be used as forage
grass, it become the most widely grown
cool-season grasses in the world.
▪ Opposite example to this concept:-
▪ Johnson grass now has become one of the world's
worst weeds. Originally introduce as forage crop
▪ Pennisetum purpurium and Eichorrnea crassipes
in Malaysia. 10
DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)

▪ “Harms other plants; survive in

a variety of environments;
produce abundant; spread
rapidly”

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 DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)

“a weed as a plant growing where it is not

desired, or a plant out of place - some plant
that, according to human criteria, is
undesirable.”

(Weed Science: Principles

and Practices, 4th Edition)

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DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
“a native or introduced species that
has a perceived negative ecological
or economic effect on agricultural
or natural systems”

Sarah Spear Cooke, Ph.D.

Seattle, Washington

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DEFINITION OF WEED (cont…)
▪ The terms 'weed', 'invader', 'colonist', 'exotic',
'non-native' and others are often used in overlapping
and conflicting manners.

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Rejmanek (1995)
Weed Classifications

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 TYPES OF WEEDS
▪ A systematic classification of weeds is based
on its phylogenetic relationships.
- class, family, genus, and species
▪ CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS BASED ON;
▪ Habitat
▪ Life cycle
▪ Taxonomy & Morphology
▪ Physiology
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 CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(HABITAT)
1. Terrestrial
▪ plants that live on land such as
▪ in crops
▪ in rangeland
▪ forest
2. Aquatic
▪ plants that live in and around water
▪ Free floating, submersed or immersed

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 CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(HABITAT)
3. Aerial
▪ plants that are not rooted in the soil. Use
other plants as support
▪ some are parasitic
▪ some are epiphytic

Dodder (Cuscata campetris) Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus)

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Terrestrial weed species growing in oil palm plantation
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Aquatic weed species

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 CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(LIFE CYCLE)
1. Herbaceous
▪ plants with non-woody stems
▪ annual - plants that live for one growing season
▪ biennial - plant that require parts of two
growing season to complete its life cycle
▪ perennial - plants that live indefinitely. Other
than seeds they also produce other
reproductive structure

2. Woody: always perennial. 21

Asystasia gangetica Paspalum conjugatum Pepperomia Pellucida
Herbaceous

Mimosa pigra Melastoma malabathricum Mallotus paniculatus

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Woody
 CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(TAXONOMY)
▪ The majority of terrestrial weeds are flowering
plants, which are divided into two groups of
taxonomic classes:-
1. Dicots:
▪ Plants whose seedling produce two
cotyledons (seed leaves) – broadleaves
▪ have reticulate venation
▪ Morning glory, Mikania, Chromolaena

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CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(TAXONOMY)
2. Monocots: plants with only one
cotyledon parallel leaf venation
flowers in three or multiple three
▪ 3 main categories:
Grasses, Sedges & Broadleaves
▪ Grasses
▪ leaves are two-ranked
▪ usually have ligules and some auricles
▪ Hollow stem
▪ examples : Imperata cylindrica (lalang) Eleusine indica
(crab grass), Pennisetum purpureum, Echinochoa sp,
Paspalum conjugatum (Cow Grass)

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CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(TAXONOMY)
▪ Sedges
▪ Include sedge & rush
▪ Lack ligules and auricles
▪ Stems cylindrical or triangular
with solid internodes
▪ Examples: Cyperus sp.,
Fimbristylis sp., Juncus sp.

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CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(TAXONOMY)
▪ Broadleaves
▪ Alocasia macrorrhiza
▪ Costus speciosus
▪ Smilax bracteata

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CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(TAXONOMY)
▪ What about ferns? Is it considered as a
weed?
▪ A weed is simply an undesirable plant. So
ferns can be considered weeds, but some
are not. They tend to spread quite fast.

Asplenium Nephrolepis Dicranopteris Stenochlaena 27

Nidus exaltata linearis palustris

 CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(PHYSIOLOGY)
▪ Photosynthesis is an essential physiological
process: H2O, CO2 with the help of light
energy converted to glucose and O2
▪ Some plants are more efficient than others
▪ C3 plants - carbon fixation occurs via Calvin
= Benson Cycle - first stable product
phytophoglyceric acid which has 3 C atoms
▪ examples : Amaranthus sp.

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CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(PHYSIOLOGY)
▪ C4 plants - first stable product is a four -
carbon acid. They are more efficient and
better competitors especially in areas of high
temperatures
▪ examples - Cyperus sp., Echinochloa sp.,
Eleusine indica

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CLASSIFICATION OF WEEDS
(PHYSIOLOGY)
▪ CAM plants - usually grow where water is
scarce like cactus and succulent
plants.
▪ examples - Portulaca oleracea, Harrisia martinii

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END

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