CHARACTERISTICS

OF WEEDS AND
THEIR IMPORTANCE
The Qualities of Weeds

1. Prolific seed production

• Produces larger number of seeds compare to crops
• In general, annual weeds are characterized by the production
of very large number of seeds.
• Seed production varies from 40 to 196,000 number of
seeds/plant
• Most of the weed seeds are small in size and contribute
enormously to the seed reserves.
• Weed seeds germinate earlier and their seedlings grow
faster.
Seed Production of Weeds
Weed Species Average Number of
Seeds/Plant
Amaranthus spp. 196, 000
Cuscuta spp. 16, 000
Chenopodium album 72, 000
Cynodon dactylon 170
Cyperus rotundus 40
Commelina benghalensis 2, 450
Portulaca sp. 193, 000
Trianthema sp. 52, 000
Solanum nigrum 178, 000
Eleusine indica 41, 200
2. Vegetative reproduction
• The vegetative reproduction is another way by which the weeds were
able to spread.
• Some of the perennial weeds multiplied by various means like:
- Tubers and nuts: Nut grass
- Rhizomes and root stock: In grasses e.g. Bermuda grass &
Johnson grass. In quack grass (Agropyron repens), rhizomes are
known as soboles.
- Bulbs: wild onion and wild garlic
- Roots: Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)
- Stems: dodder (Cuscuta spp.)
- Offsets: Aquatic weeds (Pistia and Eichhornia)
3. Seed dormancy
• It is an efficient survival mechanism of weeds.
• It is defined as a state in which a viable seed fails to germinate
even under favorable conditions for plant growth.
• Seeds of the most of the weeds exhibit one or other type of
dormancy like inherent or innate or natural dormancy or induced
or secondary dormancy or enforced dormancy by wild mustard,
black mustard and wild oats, respectively.
• Avena fatua exhibit all the these kinds of dormancy
4. Longevity and viability of seeds
• Weed seeds do not lose their viability for years even under
adverse conditions.
• Lotus seed collected from the bottom of the Manchurian lake
bed have viability even after 1000 years.
• Whereas, wild mustard and Chenopodium remain viable for 20
and 30 years, respectively.
5. Weed seed dispersal and germination
• Weed dispersal has no geographical boundaries.
• Common agents of weed dispersal are wind, water, animals,
birds, organic manures, agriculture implements and human
beings.
6. Wider adaptability
• They have the ability to thrive under
adverse conditions due to
morphological and physiological
conditions
• Ex. Trianthema (carpet weed)
Sorghum halepense
Saccharum spontaneum Sorghum halepense
7. Modified structure in order
to compete with crop plants
• They are provided with hooks,
stiff hairs, thorns and spines Argemone mexicana
• Ex. Argemone mexicana
Xanthium
Xanthium
Tribulus
Achyranthus spp.
Other Characteristic Features Like:
• They have the capacity to germinate under varied conditions,
but very characteristically, season bound. The peak period of
germination always takes place in certain seasons in regular
succession year after year.
• Germination synchronization between weeds and crop plants.
• They flower earlier and mature ahead of the crop they infest.
• Rapid establishment and growth of weed seedlings
• Tolerance to shading effects by the crops at the time of
establishment
• Quick response to available soil moisture and nutrients.
• Most of the weeds possess C4 type of photosynthesis, which is
an added advantage during moisture stress.
• Relative immunity to post seeding soil disturbance practices.
• They possess extensive root system, which go deeper as well
as of creeping type.
• Mimicry: Resembles the crop plants,
morphological characters are
similar to the crop plants.
Ex. Wild oat in wheat crop and
Echinochloa colonum in rice.

• Resistance to herbicides in use thus

weeds are called as “excellent
competitors”
Thank you!