Summary
This narrative review examines how intensive agriculture's reliance on herbicides for weed control has generated widespread ecosystem disruption and resistance challenges. The authors argue that ecologically intensive agro-ecosystems—integrating ecological principles with traditional farmer knowledge—offer more sustainable alternatives. The paper identifies substantial opportunity for developing and adopting effective, economical, and environmentally sound weed management technologies that maintain or improve crop productivity whilst reducing chemical inputs.
Regional applicability
The review's ecological principles and emphasis on integrating traditional knowledge are relevant to UK farming policy priorities around sustainable intensification and agroecological transition. However, applicability depends on UK-specific crop systems, climate conditions, and regulatory frameworks for herbicide use, which are not addressed in the abstract.
Key measures
Qualitative assessment of weed management approaches; crop yield maintenance; ecosystem disruption metrics; herbicide-related environmental impacts
Outcomes reported
The narrative review synthesises evidence on agronomic and environmental constraints of herbicide-dependent weed management and identifies ecologically intensive agro-ecosystem approaches as alternatives. The authors assess the potential of integrated weed management technologies to improve crop productivity whilst reducing environmental impact.
Topic tags
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