Transformation of weed communities under the evolution of agricultural technologies

Received: 04-Jul-2025, Manuscript No. mp-25-167610; , Pre QC No. mp-25-167610 (PQ); Editor assigned: 07-Jul-2025, Pre QC No. mp-25-167610 (PQ); Reviewed: 21-Jul-2025, QC No. mp-25-167610; Revised: 28-Jul-2025, Manuscript No. mp-25-167610 (R); Published: 04-Aug-2025

Introduction

The history of techno-botanical adaptation of weeds not only reveals the mechanisms behind the evolutionary dynamics of phy-tocoenotic species composition, but also accumulates an ecological database for developing synchronized forecasts regarding the type and degree of weed infestation, as well as the herbicide resistance profile of weed communities (Cherenkov, et al. 2021, Shevchenko, et al. 2025).

Weed species exhibit the highest evolutionary sensitivity to such agro-systemic factors as crop rotation schemes, phytocoenotic stability of cultivated crops, the application of herbicides with varying modes of action, and methods of mechanical impact on soil and weeds (Shevchenko, et al. 2024, Mytsyk, et al. 2025 and Gemtou, et al. 2025).

Given the relevance of targeted weed control in crop production, the aim of our research was to retrospectively trace the evolutionary pathways of weed phytocoenoses under technogenic pressure caused by herbicide use and primary soil tillage practices, to identify the directions and rates of species composition transformation, and to develop agrotechnological approaches for weed regulation and future-oriented weed management planning (Gupta, et al. 2025, Lidder, et al. 2025 and Jahanbakht, et al. 2025).

Materials and Methods

The main results of the research were obtained through long-term field experiments, surveys of production fields, and assess-ments of undisturbed natural habitats within the zone of steppe farming, based at the Experimental Station of the Institute of Grain Crops of NAAS and Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University. The methodological monitoring period covered the develop-ment of agriculture from 1958 to 2025 and was divided into critical stages: 1958-1970 (data by O.V. Fisiunov), 1981-2002 (data by M.S. Shevchenko), and 2011-2025 (data by S.M. Shevchenko).

In this context, Raunkiaer’s frequency index was used to build a continuous historical model for evaluating weed species compo-sition and generating comparable datasets, as it provides insight into the frequency and distribution of individual species across land-scapes. The assessment of the technico-economic level of each agricultural development stage was based on scientific publications, analytical reports, and statistical reviews.

Results and Discussion

Over the 67-year period of herbological observations and the study of weed development patterns in agricultural crop fields, a strong correlation was observed between agro-industrial land use systems and the nature of weed infestation in agrocenoses. A key objective in this context was to shift from visual assessments of the rotational changes in weed phytocoenoses to a methodologically grounded and digitized registration of technogenic evolutionary trends. This approach ensures a higher degree of reliability in recording biocoenotic parameters and offers strong reproducibility of research results over an extended phytomonitoring period (Tab. 1).

Tab 1. Key elements of technobiogenic influence on the formation of weed phytocoenotic spectrum by stages of agricultural development.

The agrotechnical period was characterized by minimal herbicide use (up to 25% of treated crops), limited prevalence of row crops (such as maize, sunflower, and sugar beet) in the cropping structure (23%), and a dominance of energy-intensive plowing, which was applied to 74% of arable land. Under this technological level of farming, the weed species most adapted to the prevailing ecological vacuum and competitive environment in agrocenoses included Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail), Amaranthus albus L. (white pigweed), Chenopodium album L. (common lambsquarters), and Polygonum convolvulus (black bindweed).

When these species had unrestricted access to ecological resources in black fallow fields, their frequency of occurrence reached a maximum (81%-90%). However, with the introduction of competitive pressure from maize crops, their presence in the phytocoenosis sharply declined to 96-5% (Tab. 2).

Tab 2. Development of agriculture and species variability of weeds in agrocenoses, % (Frequency of occurrence of individual species according to Raunkiaer’s method).

An ecologically and economically balanced system of effective weed control should be based on the following technobiogenic parameters: the share of row crops in crop rotation should not exceed 35%-38%; herbicide use in row crop fields should remain within 75%-85%; solid seeding methods should be applied on 55%-60% of cropland; plowing should cover 20%-25% of the area; No-till practices should account for 10%-15%; and 60%-70% of fields should utilize other soil tillage minimization techniques.

Conclusion

It has been established that the technogenic evolution of agriculture, driven by changes in tillage systems, crop rotation structure, and herbicide pressure, significantly influences the species composition of weeds in the agrocenoses of the Ukrainian Steppe. 

Weeds exhibit high associative variability and adaptability, modifying their presence depending on the cultivated crop, agrotechnical practices, and level of chemical input. 

To achieve ecologically and economically balanced weed control, it is advisable to implement an agrotechnological model that integrates limited herbicide use, crop diversity in rotations, partial retention of traditional plowing, and the development of minimal tillage systems.

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to their colleagues in the Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University and Institute of Grain Crops of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine for their support and assistance. We also thank anonymous reviewers for helping us to improve this paper.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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