Assessment of Weed Species Traits, Duration Taken from Germination to Flowering and Crop Affected on Farms in Kisii Central Sub County, Kisii County, Kenya
Keywords:
Shrub,, Sedge,, Eudicot,, Smallholder Farmers,, KisiiAbstract
Weed invasion is one of the greatest challenges affecting smallholder farming in Kenya.
Timely and effective weed management needs knowledge on weed species traits and their
nature of growth. This study aimed at assessment and documentation of weed species traits
and time taken from germination to flowering for effective weed management. Ten plots
were selected 1km equidistantly along a transect set across each of the eight randomly
sampled sub-locations in the study area. In each plot, a 2m
2
portion was demarcated for
monitoring weed species germination to flowering time. Botanical classification of weed
species was carried out through examination of the foliage and reproductive regions with
the aid of guide books. Weed species G. parviflora and E. brachycephala had the shortest
duration to flowering of 4 weeks while T. minuta and D. stramonium, each had the longest
flowering duration of 7 weeks. Majority (14) of the weed species were broadleaved while
eight were narrow leaved weed species. Thirteen annual weed species were recorded while
only nine species were perennial. Three weed species were grass, 2 sedges, 1 shrub and 16
herbs. Fourteen weed species were eudicot while only 8 were monocots. Four weed species
were dispersed by insects while wind dispersal and animal dispersal had 9 weed species in
each case. Most farms were infested by a variety of weed species which included Pennisetum
clandestinum, Oxalis latifolia, Cyperus rotundus, Amaranthus hybridus and Datura
stramonium. Weed species traits and interval from germination to flow ering will aid
forecast on successive weed invasions and thus guide farmers on the effective time of weed
management measures such as adoption of integrated weed management practises to
optimize crop production.
References
Bajwa, A. A. (2014). Sustainable weed management in conservation agriculture. Crop Prot. 65:105–113. doi:
10.1016/j.cropro.2014.07.014.
Bhowmik, P. C. (1997). Weed Biology: Importance to weed management. Weed sci., vol.no. 3, pp.349-356.
Farooq, M., Bajwa, A. A, Cheema, S. A. and Cheema, Z. A. (2013). Application of allelopathy in crop production.
Int. J. Agric Bioll15:1367– 1378.
Hassan, M. N, Ahmed, S., Uddin, J. & Hasan, M. (2010). Effect of weeding regime and planting density on
morphology and yield attributes of transplant: Pak. J. Weed Sci.Res.16: 363 377.
International rice research institute, (2010). Rice knowledge bank. Makati: Irri.
Iyagba, A. G. (2010). A review on root and tuber crop production among small scale farmers in Nigeria. ARPN
Journal of Agriculture and Biological Science. Vol.5 No 1.
Jonathan, D. E. and Adesina, A. (2014). Farmers’ Perceptions of Rice Weeds and Control Methods in Cote
D’Ivoire, West Africa, Brighton, Crop Protection Conference Weeds: 1143-1148.
KALRO, (2013). Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization. Food crop Production for both
Subsistence and Commercial purposes.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, (2019). Kenya population and Housing Census. Nairobi: Kenya National
Bureau of Statistics.
Kimemia, J. K. and Nyabundi, K. W. (1998). Difficult weeds in Kenya coffee. Kenya coffee Review: Vol. 63: 744,
pp 49.
Leck, M. A. and Schutz, W. (2003). Regeneration of Cyperaceae with particular reference to seed ecology and
seed banks. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and systematics, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 95-133.
Macías, F. A., Molinillo, J. M. G., Varela, R. M. & Galindo, J. C. G. (2007). Allelopathy – a natural alternative for
weed control. Pest Manag Sci. 63:327–348.
Mahmoodi, S. and Rahimi, A. (2009). Estimation of critical period of weed control in corn in Iran , Weed acad. Sc.,
49:67-72.
Makanganise, A. and Mabasa, S. (1999). Field guide to Identification of important weeds of Arable Lands in
Zimbabwe. Department of
Research and Specialist Services’ Publication, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Marwat, K. B. and Khan, M. A. (2006). Impact of crop and weed densities on competition between wheat and
Silybum marianum Gaertn.Pak. J. Bot. 38, 1205–1215.
MoA (Ministry of Agriculture), (2016) Annual Work Plan: Kisii County. Ministry of Agriculture, Nairobi.
MoA (Ministry of Agriculture), (2017). Farm Management Handbook of Kenya Vol. II Natural Conditions and
Farm Management
Information. 2nd Edition, Part a West Kenya Subpart A2 Nyanza Province , MoA Kenya in Cooperation with GTZ.
Ministry of Agriculture, Nairobi.
Nichols, V., Verhulst, N., Cox, R. & Govaerts, B. (2015). Weed dynamics and conservation, agriculture principles:
a review. Field Crop Res. 183:56–68. doi: 10.1016/j.fcr.2015.07.012.
Norsworthy, J. and Oliveira, M. (2006). Sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia) and emergency as affected by environmental
factors and seedling depth. Weed sci., vol. 54 no.5 pp. 903-909.
Oudhia, P. (2004). Phyto-sociological studies of rainy wasteland, pp. 40. In Liebman, C. L., Parker, V.T., and
Fryer, S. L. (2004) Ecology of Soil Seed bank, Academic Press New York.pp.3-8.
Qureshi, R. and Arian, M. A. (2003). Spectrum, density and frequency of weeds of wheat Crop in Sukkur District,
Sindh, Pakistan. Hamdard Medicus, 34-38.
Rajput, M. T. et al., (2008). Check list of the weeds found in cotton crops, cultivated in Taluka Ubauro, district
Sukkur, Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot. 401, 65–70.
Sultan, S. and Nasir, Z. A. (2007). Intra-annual variations in weed communities of Lentil fields in Chakwal,
Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot., 38(5): 1471-1479.
Swanton, C. J., Gulden, R. H., Mahoney, K. J. & Chandler, K. (2008). Integrated weed management: Knowledgebased weed management systems. Weed Science 56: 168–172.
Zaman, S., Farrukh, H. & Muhammed, W. (2011). Floristic Composition, Communities and Ecological
Characteristics of Weed of Wheat field, Pakistan. J. Bot., 43(6):2817-2820.
Tanveer, A. et al., (2015). Interference and management of parthenium: the world's most important invasive weed.
Crop Protection. 68, 49–59.
Gesimba, R. M. and Langat, M. C. (2005). A review on weeds and weed control in arable crops (Soybeans (Glycine
max L.) in Kisii highlands, Kenya. J. Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica, vol. 38(2).
Shah, G. and Khan, M. A. (2006). Check List of Noxious Weeds of District Mansehra Pakistan. Pak J. Weed Sci.
Res. 12 (3) 213-219.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, (2019). Kenya population and Housing Census. Nairobi: Kenya National
Bureau of Statistics
