Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 14
Management of
Phalaris minor
, an Exotic
Weed of Cropland
Inderjit and Shalini Kaushik
Abstract
Phalaris minor
is a troublesome nonnative weed, particularly in wheat
fields of northwestern India. In spite of protracted efforts to manage this weed with
herbicides, it is still a significant challenge. Here, we discuss some agroecological prac-
tices that could influence establishment and survival of
P. minor
. Although this chapter
deals with a specific example in purely agricultural settings, it illustrates the magnitude
of the problem created by a nonnative weed of cropland. This weed is largely restricted
to wheat fields. Future research should include examination of the ecological factors
for the restricted distribution of
P. minor
in wheat fields.
Keywords
Phalaris minor
Isoproturon
Allelopathy
Rice straw
Sulfosulfuron
14.1 Introduction
Phalaris minor
Retz. (littleseed canarygrass, Poaceae) is an annual exotic cropland
weed, which is particularly common in wheat (
Triticum aestivum
L.) fields (Fig.
14.1a). It is a native of much of the Mediterranean region, extending through the
Middle East to the Persian Gulf (Singh et al. 1999; Kaushik et al. 2005; Kaushik
and Inderjit 2007). In part of its native range, e.g., Turkey, it commonly occurs in
cultivated fields (Fig. 14.1b).
P. minor
was reported by Hooker (1896) and Stewart
(1945) in India as mentioned in the Flora of British India and Brittonia, respec-
tively. Consequently,
P. minor
had certainly reached India well before the Green
Revolution during 1960s, when dwarf Mexican wheat varieties were imported from
CYMMIT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center). In northwestern
India,
P. minor
is largely restricted to wheat fields and rarely escapes these cultivated
Inderjit(
) and S. Kaushik
Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), University of
Delhi, Delhi 110007, India
inderjit@cemde.du.ac.in
