What are different methods of weeding?

Weeds are the unwanted plants that grow along with the crops. Weed affects the growth of crops by stealing their nutrients, sunlight, water, and other resources. This results in undernourished crops and their decreased yield.

Farmers remove the weeds by the process of weeding to protect the crop and improve its productivity.  

(i) Bioagents like insects, pathogens, etc., and other animals are used to control weeds. Insects and pathogens infest weeds and they either reduce growth or kill weeds. The biological control method can reduce weeds but it is not possible to eradicate weeds.

(ii) Herbicides or chemicals can be employed to control weeds as they emerge from the soli to eliminate weed crop interference even at a very early stage of crop growth. But by physical methods weeds are removed after they have offered considerable competition to the crops, and rarely at a critical time. Thus, herbicides provide the benefits of timely weed control.

Soil-borne herbicides are applied to the soil and are taken up by the roots of the target plant. Pre-emergent herbicides are applied to the soil and prevent germination or early growth of weed seeds.

There are several tools available that cut and remove weed roots.

Some of such tools are listed below:

1. Spade or Trowel. As part of your weed-removal process, you can push spades or trowels into the ground in a circle around the base of the weed, and cut the roots with the tool's blade.

2. Garden Knife and Hoe. 

3. Weeders.

4. Rotary Tiller.

[Extra information:

Weeds create competition conditions and starvation or nutrient-deficient conditions for the cultivated crop, affecting their production efficiency.

Weeding is the process of removal of unwanted plants or crops from the soil, which is commonly known as weeds. 

Weedicides are chemicals that selectively kill only weeds. Some examples of weedicides include- DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.]