Description
Weed can be defined as any plant growing in undesirable locations. Weeds are considered one of the main challenges in agricultural fields. Weeds affect pasture productivity mainly because of the competition for limited resources such as nutrients, water, and light with forage plants. Weeds encroach pastures spontaneously and spread quickly through the farm and neighboring areas, making their control difficult. In addition, weeds can affect forage nutritive value, grazing behaviour, voluntary forage intake, animal health, and consequently animal performance. The low efficiency of mechanical weeding and the global concern about indiscriminate use of herbicides impose challenges for producers in grazing systems. These factors justify the importance of proper weed management to minimize financial losses and environmental impacts and drive the research effort in this area. Currently, some strategies including grazing management, grass and legumes integration, and site-specific weed spraying have demonstrated potential to improve the efficiency of weed supression and increase the productivity and profitability of livestock systems. This review aims to discuss about the main effects of weed encroachment in grasslands regarding pasture productivity and animal performance, as well as emphasize potential strategies for weed management.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Weed Management Affects Pasture Productivity and Animal Performance
Weed can be defined as any plant growing in undesirable locations. Weeds are considered one of the main challenges in agricultural fields. Weeds affect pasture productivity mainly because of the competition for limited resources such as nutrients, water, and light with forage plants. Weeds encroach pastures spontaneously and spread quickly through the farm and neighboring areas, making their control difficult. In addition, weeds can affect forage nutritive value, grazing behaviour, voluntary forage intake, animal health, and consequently animal performance. The low efficiency of mechanical weeding and the global concern about indiscriminate use of herbicides impose challenges for producers in grazing systems. These factors justify the importance of proper weed management to minimize financial losses and environmental impacts and drive the research effort in this area. Currently, some strategies including grazing management, grass and legumes integration, and site-specific weed spraying have demonstrated potential to improve the efficiency of weed supression and increase the productivity and profitability of livestock systems. This review aims to discuss about the main effects of weed encroachment in grasslands regarding pasture productivity and animal performance, as well as emphasize potential strategies for weed management.
