Liebman M., Mohler C.L., Staver C.P. Ecological Management of Agricultural Weeds

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. – 2004. – 544 p. Concerns over environmental and human health impacts of conventional weed management practices, herbicide resistance in weeds, and rising costs of crop production and protection have led agricultural producers and scientists in many countries to seek strategies that take greater advantage of ecological processes. This book provides principles and practices for ecologically based weed management in a wide range of temperate and tropical farming systems. After examining weed life histories and processes determining the assembly of weed communities, the authors describe how tillage and cultivation practices, manipulations of soil conditions, competitive cultivars, crop diversification, grazing livestock, arthropod and microbial biocontrol agents, and other factors can be used to reduce weed germination, growth, competitive ability, reproduction, and dispersal. Special attention is given to the evolutionary challenges that weeds pose and the roles that farmers can play in the development of new weed management strategies.Weed management: a need for ecological approaches
Weed life history: identifying vulnerabilities
Knowledge, science, and practice in ecological weed management: farmer–extensionist–scientist interactions
Mechanical management of weeds
Weeds and the soil environment
Enhancing the competitive ability of crops
Crop diversification for weed management
Managing weeds with insects and pathogen
Livestock grazing for weed management
Weed evolution and community structure
Weed management: the broader context
Taxonomic index