Weed Control in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 289
Special Issue Editors
Interests: agronomy; plant nutrition; competition; intercropping; soil tillage; weed control
2. Weed Science Center, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
Interests: weed management; weed biology and ecology; crop–weed interaction modeling
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Weed control in cassava has received variable levels of attention in the different continents where cassava is grown, despite clear messages from farming communities regarding its importance. Estimates of yield losses through the interference of weeds are extremely vague and often rather old. Due to the wide range of agro-ecological conditions, weed species, planting practices, cassava varieties, and agronomic measures, root yield losses from 0% to 100 % have been reported. Weed control has been found to require specific, locally adapted approaches. However, some principal responses of the crop to weed competition might guide general approaches to manage weeds in cassava fields. Due to the ongoing climate change crisis, it is estimated that cassava will become even more important, especially in countries with poor irrigation infrastructure. Weed competition, specifically in phases of water deficiency, will become highly critical to food security and income generation. However, for many regions where cassava is an important staple crop, farmers are currently left with only few or no concrete chemical and mechanical weed control options.
The preferred or most frequently used weed control approaches differ greatly among continents and countries. In countries where cassava is a commercial crop and sold to processing factories, weed control is close to 100% herbicide based. In Asia, adequate weed control could increase yields by 7% or 3.2 million tons. In Africa, most cassava is hand-weeded, often by women and children, and through its drudgery compromising the livelihoods and education of children. Considering the rather low average cassava root yields in Africa, it is likely that improved weed control will enable large yield and thus production increases. Investing in weed control in cassava will be an approach to improve food security and income generation and add to climate change mitigation efforts.
Dr. Stefan Hauser
Dr. Friday Ekeleme
Dr. Magdalena Necpalova
Guest Editors
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