The Bioecology and Sustainable Management of Weeds

Dear Colleagues,

Weeds, as the most important pest of agricultural systems, cause an enormous reduction in crop yield worldwide due to their strong adaptability and aggressive competitiveness in the agricultural environment. The use of herbicides is the most economic and effective weed control practice; however, excessive dependence on chemical herbicides has led to a shift in the occurrence and distribution of weeds and weed community succession, especially in terms of the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds. Weed management is an emerging challenge, highlighting the urgent need to explore sustainable management strategies. An understanding of the evolution of agricultural weeds and crop–weed interactions will be crucial for improving weed management and crop breeding. Therefore, we need to extensively research the population dynamics, genetic evolution, and resource allocation mechanisms of the weeds in competition with crops. Finally, we must outline a sustainable management framework for precise weed management that integrates ecological and biological control, intelligent identification, and targeted herbicide applications to comprehensively manage weeds. This Special Issue of Plants will highlight the evolutionary dynamics of weeds, their competition and adaptation mechanisms, the interaction mechanisms between weeds and crops, and new efficient and sustainable weed management practices.

Prof. Dr. Xiaoling Song
Dr. Hongjuan Huang
Prof. Dr. Lang Pan
Prof. Dr. Mingshan Ji
Guest Editors

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