Impact of concurrent weed or herbicide stress with other biotic and abiotic stressors on crop production

Abstract

Crop plants are exposed to several biotic and abiotic stress factors under natural production conditions. These factors may interact with each other, leading to altered impacts on crop yield. Weeds and herbicides often represent important stress factors on crops. Their interaction with other biotic (insects, diseases, nematodes, etc.) and abiotic (temperature, moisture, etc.) stress factors may influence the nature and dynamics of crop-weed interactions and thereby impact crop yields. In many cases, interaction of weeds/herbicides with other stress factors can lead to accelerated crop yield loss. Yet, such interactions were not well studied and fully understood; existing research knowledge in this area is widely scattered in the literature. This paper establishes, by reviewing existing literature, a foundation of information on the outcomes of interactions between weeds/herbicides and other stressors. This literature analysis also illustrates the need for more targeted research on this topic, which is becoming increasingly important on the face of global climate change.