Weeds

(Quoted from Directorate of Weed Research India - Vision 2025)

Weeds are plants that are undesirable to human activity at a particular time and place, and therefore, weeds will always be associated with human endeavours. Weeds pose serious problems to agriculture and environment. In agriculture these not only cause huge reductions in crop yields but also increase cost of cultiva tion, reduce input efficiency, interfere with agricultural operations, impair quality, act as alternate hosts for several in sect pests, diseases an d nematodes. In non-crop areas, they affect aesthetic look of the ecosystem as well as native biodiversity and health and quality of life.

(Quoted from Directorate of Weed Research India - Vision 2030)

The diverse challenges and constraints as growing population, increasing food, feed and fodder needs, natural resource degradation, climate change, new parasites, slow growth in farm income and new global trade regulations demand a paradigm shift in formulating and implementing the agricultural research programmes.

Weed problems are likely to increase due to increased emphasis on high input agriculture. Further, globalization would also result in new weed problems notwithstanding strict quarantine regulations. With the increased public awareness on environmental pollution, the focus would shift to the development of eco- friendly weed management technologies in the new millennium. As the future weed problems will be multi-pronged, a holistic approach with multi-disciplinary, multi-locational and multi-institutional involvement would be imperative. Effective linkages will also be forged with all the national as well as international agencies working on weed management to harness the technological developments.

(Quoted from Directorate of Weed Research India - Vision 2050)

"As per the available estimates, weeds cause up to one- third of the total loss in crop yield, besides impairing produce quality and various kinds of health and environmental hazards. Despite the development and adoption of weed management technologies, the weed infestations are virtually increasing in cropped and non-cropped lands. This is due to adoption of high-input and intensive cropping systems; neglect and discontinuation of some of the traditional practices like intercropping, mulching and crop rotations involving legumes; shift in weed flora due to adoption of fixed cropping systems and management practices including herbicides; development of herbicide resistance in weeds e.g. Phalaris minor in the 1990s; growing menace of weedy rice in many states and Orobanche in mustard growing areas; invasion by alien weeds like Parthenium, Lantana, Ageratum, Chromolaena, Mikania and Mimosa in many parts of the country; impending climate change favouring more aggressive growth of weed species, and herbicide residue hazards. This suggests that weed problems are dynamic in nature, requiring continuous monitoring and refinement of management strategies for alleviating their adverse effects on agricultural productivity and environmental health."

Prior to the adoption of Tagar village by DWSR, the villagers mainly the youth were migrating to town areas due to unprofitable farming and consequent unemployment in this village. The outcome of the technological support provided by the directorate gave a confidence and new ardor to them and they are now seriously occupied in agriculture.