The progress and future of Weed Science Research in the Asian-Pacific region

Adusumilli N. Rao1 and Sreenath Dixit

Keywords:

Asian-Pacific region, weeds, integrated weed management, herbicide resistant weeds

Abstract:

Reducing poverty and ensuring future food and nutritional security are significant concerns in the Asian-Pacific region, which is characterized by rapid population growth, food shortages, and an increasing changing climate. Efforts to increase crop productivity and reduce existing crop yield gaps, by identifying constraints, such as weeds and alleviating their negative impacts, are essential to meet the targeted food and nutritional security goals in the region. The prime objectives of the Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society (APWSS) have been the promotion of Weed Science in the region, by pooling and exchanging information on weeds, and capacity building in weed management. Over the past five decades, APWSS has held 26 Conferences in the region compiling information related to weeds and publishing those in peer-reviewed proceedings. In this review, we assessed the extent of achievement of these prime objective by analyzing the above research published in the APWSS Conference proceedings and related publications under major weed research themes and categories. We then used the results (% numbers of papers published) to understand the status of weed research in the region and the key drivers for the research agendas and to make suggestions for the future weed management research needs in the Asian-Pacific region. Herbicide-led research dominates weed research in the APWSS region. Herbicide use continues to be a critical weed management tool in the gradually developing nations and emerging economies of the region. However, herbicide-resistant weeds, shifts in weed floras, and the emergence of new weeds, such as weedy rice, and climate change, have become significant weed management challenges. The new herbicide molecule development and introduction have slowed down. Genetically modified Herbicide Tolerant Crops (HTC) have been introduced in some Asian-Pacific countries as a component of packages of Integrated Weed Management (IWM). However, the emergence of herbicidetolerant weeds, due to gene flow and non-adoption of stewardship guidelines, combined with human health and environmental concerns and lack of trained personnel, are limiting HTC introduction and adoption. Thus, weed research in the region must continue on IWM, to better integrate knowledge of weed ecology, biology, and best management practices into specific cropping situations. Genetic engineering to produce new competitive crops cultivars, weed management through automation, and artificial intelligence, a better understanding of weed responses to climate change, may provide innovative approaches to efficiently, economically, and ecologically manage weeds.