Weeds, like other plants, exist in the context of their surroundings, the land’s history, and the random acts of fate. Some of the most crucial environmental factors, such as climate, are out of a farmer’s control. Some essential weed development parameters, such as soil temperature and moisture, are influenced by both the local climate and farm management. Farm management on organic farms is frequently different from that of nearby farms, and weed communities are likely to differ as well.
Organic systems had more weed species and individual weed plants than conventional systems, according to a Saskatchewan study. In organic systems, wild mustard, lamb’s quarters, and Canada thistle were very abundant. Wild oats, on the other hand, were a lot less of an issue. Differences between years were bigger than differences between organic and conventional systems in that study.
A second research examined a larger number of organic and non-organic farms in Saskatchewan. It was found that the cropping method had a higher impact on the weed community than whether the farm was managed organically or not, especially if the farm had a history of perennial feed crops. Annual farming methods tended to support annual weeds, whereas perennial forages tended to encourage perennial and biennial weeds. Wild mustard, lamb’s quarters, and bluebur had higher populations of herbicide-resistant weeds in organic fields (Table 1). On average, organic fields had more individual weeds and more weed species than nearby fields.
Organic farmers in Manitoba reported problems with wild mustard, Canada thistle, red root pigweed, green foxtail, and wild oats, according to a research. Wild mustard was a far bigger issue for organic farmers than it was for conventional farmers (Table 2). Annual broad-leaved weeds were not consistently different in organic and conventional systems in South Dakota, according to experimental comparisons of organic and conventional systems. After six years, the amount of grassy weeds, particularly green and yellow foxtail, was much greater in organic cereals than in conventional cereals. In organic soybeans, they were not always higher.