The Response of Some Alien Weeds in Iran to Environmental Factors and Their Distribution: A Literature Review

Authors

1 Gorgan

2 Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

3 Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO)

4 Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection

10.22034/ijws.2024.133951

Abstract

An alien plant refers to a species that was introduced either deliberately or accidentally by humans. An invasive alien species (IAS) is a naturalized plant that produces reproductive offspring, often in very large numbers, at considerable distances from parent plants and negatively affects environmental and socio-economic aspects. These species have a detrimental impact on agricultural and non-agricultural ecosystem components. In this research, 14 alien weeds were examined regarding their current distribution, invasive status, and germination responses to various factors, including temperature, drought, salinity, soil acidity, and planting depth. The findings indicated that, from the 14 species, four were identified as invasive species in the northern parts of Iran, while the remaining species were naturalized. Certain species, including Amaranthus retroflexus and Amaranthus blitoides, exhibit a broader distribution across the country, which can be attributed to their prolonged historical presence in Iran. The majority of the studied species (64%) prefer higher temperature ranges and cause problems in summer crop fields, and due to their higher presence in northern cities, the farms in these regions are more affected. Amaranthus retroflexus and A. hybridus showed the highest tolerance (>1 MPa) to drought stress compared to other species. Three species showed the lowest tolerance to salinity at the germination stage (<6 dS/m). The findings regarding planting depth indicated that 57% of species had better emergence at depths less than four cm. Therefore, it is necessary to employ tillage operations and mulch application at greater depths and in larger volumes, respectively. Monitoring the early growth of these species under natural conditions can provide more reliable results regarding their response to environmental stresses, especially if the goal is to investigate their distribution potential in different climates or to predict their response to a reduction in precipitation.

Keywords

Iranian Journal of Weed Science
Volume 20, Issue 1
June 2024
Pages 115-131

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