Revisiting weed research: Aspiring for more scientific methods, quality observations, and data analysis

AbstractCrops and weeds may have differential response to resources/growth factors and environment under climate change, but little has been explored/investigated. The quantification of these effects/ responses needs rigorous basic and applied research. Necessarily, the weed research experiments should be pro-climate and tuned up to those directions, scales, and magnitudes, which could provide an edge to adapt to the changing climate and harness benefits more in favour of crops than weeds. Accordingly, the experiments and research methodologies/ observations need to be revisited/ reframed, having sound knowledge and science bases to make more authentic and climate-supportive recommendations. The pre-requisites are choosing pro-climate experiments and treatments, appropriate statistical design, relevant control/ check treatments for main and sub-plots, and precise sampling procedures, data tabulation and analysis, particularly for certain parameters like weed control efficiency, weed control index, weed index etc. The phytosociology study of weeds in crops across locations depict/ reveal community structure, diversity and similarity of weeds under changing climate and cropping practices and assumes huge significance. There is an utmost need to study the bio-efficacy of herbicides at weed species-level along with their effect on the categories of weeds and composite weeds to arrest species shift and dynamics. Studying the effect of herbicide/ weed control treatment on soil health (~carbon sequestration, physical, chemical and biological properties) and environmental health (herbicide residue in soil, water and crop produces, greenhouse gases emission, carbon footprints) has become highly pertinent and relevant now-a-days for climate resilient recommendation and sustainable crop production. Therefore, there is a need to pursue and expedite such research in collaboration with interdisciplinary sciences, which may be a comprehensive weed research model for future.