Dr. V.S. Krishna Govt. Degree& P.G. College (A) Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Dr. V.S. Krishna Govt. Degree& P.G. College (A) Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Department of Botany, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Weed , Lower yields ,Labour requirement ,

Traditionally, a weed is defined as any plant growing where it is not wanted. This definition can apply to crops, native plants as well as non –native species. if it is considered to be a nuisance where it is growing it can be termed a weed . However weeds are not just unwanted species; they can have substantial negative impacts when they are present. Weeds can effectively compete with crop species; can lower yields, increase labour requirement and ultimately, increase food costs for the consumer. A total of 334 plant species, belonging to 227 genera and 69 families were identified as crop land weeds in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Of these 334 weed species, 246 are dicots, 87 are monocots and one pteridophyte. The predominant weeds of this category are Cissampelos pareira (Menispermaceae), Cissus quadrangularis (Vitaceae), Dodonaea viscosa (Sapindaceae), Clerodendrum spp (Verbenaceae) and Dioscorea spp (Dioscoreaceae). Poaceae is the largest representing 40 species. Fabaceae occupies the second position with 25 species followed by Asteraceae (23), Acanthaceae (20), Euphorbiaceae (17), Cyperaceae (13), Lamiaceae (12), Convolvulaceae and Amaranthaceae (11) each, Commelinaceae (10). Grasses and sedges (53) represent 15.87% of the total weed flora of West Gaodavari. Investigator hopes that weed flora work at district level would be of good source of information of technical and taxonomic data to the academic institutes and research organizations like Agricultural colleges, Universities, Agricultural Universities and other agricultural agencies

5 , 12 , 2015