Recent research into assessing and combatting maize weeds was reviewed based on scientific and working reports from the year 2011 onwards in Ethiopia. This review paper covered two main topics: assessment of major weed types and their impacts, and research results of weed management in the maize cropping system of the country. More than 80 major weed floras dominated by broad leaved weeds were found infesting maize fields in different localities. By competing, toxifying and/or parasitizing maize plants, they reduce the crop germination, growth and productivity. Several experiments indicated that maize yield loss due to uncontrolled weed growth varied from 35 to 87.5%, indicating that weed management is a critical factor for maize production in the country. Hoeing, hand weeding and pre-emergence herbicides application have been the most frequently used weed control practices to minimize the competition effect of weeds. So far, there has been no effective and sustainable individual weed control method for maize fields. Thus, future research should focus on developing integrated weed management that effectively reduce weed infestation and associated impacts, and improve productivity of the crop considering socio-economic condition of a specific maize producing agro-ecology of the country.
The wild sunflower, an invasive alien species, is known to affect the performance of field crops. A field experiment was conducted to estimate the effects of different levels of wild sunflower and common bean densities on common bean yield components and grain yield, as well as to quantify yield loss due to their competition at varying densities. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement with four replications. Hence, factorial combinations of three common bean densities and five wild sunflower densities were tested at two locations. At 24 plants m−2, wild sunflower had maximum dry biomass of 413.84 and 549.83 g−2 at Adamitulu and Melkassa, respectively. An increase in wild sunflower density from 0 to 24 plants m−2 resulted in a reduction of pods per plant up to 62.41% and 83.11%, respectively, at Adamitulu and Melkassa. Compared to the weed‐free plot, the highest wild sunflower density (24 plants m−2) had a 4.6‐fold reduction in seed per pod. Weed‐free plots at Adamitulu and Melkassa yielded the highest grain yields of 2.77 and 3.37 t ha−1, respectively. Common bean grain yield reduced by 88.12% and 67.64%, in Adamitulu and Melkassa, due to the highest density of wild sunflower. The rectangular hyperbolic equation fits common bean grain yields well. This study, hence, proposes that wild sunflower plants be kept at a density of no more than three plants per meter square to minimize severe yield loss and help common bean growers make decisions on wild sunflower control.
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